


Genetics

by WingedLadyColette



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies)
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-02-19 13:15:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 82,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2389604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingedLadyColette/pseuds/WingedLadyColette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam's life begins to look up when the next threat begins to appear and he is placed in yet another strange predicament. Sector Seven is back for one last try at figuring the secrets behind alien lifeforms and they discover history lost even to the Autobots. And how is the world going to take alien robots at their door? Games are changing and something has to give. OptimusxSamXBee</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcoming Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: So, I know that I shouldn't be doing this considering I have so many other stories, but I have to. This idea has been stuck in my head for so long I just had to write it down. Enjoy!
> 
> Ownership: I own nothing but the plot line.
> 
> Word Count: 3,649
> 
> "Genetics is all about showcasing human beauty along with high-quality performance." Bela Karolyi

In the months that followed the attack on Chicago, the Autobots have been thoroughly apologized to by the America and pretty much every country that wanted them off Earth is now practically on it's knees thanking the Autobots for their "selflessness". Sam had to roll his eyes at the mere pretense of the sentiment. Of course humanity was going to thank them now.

"Damn bureaucrats and their bullshit," Maggie had said over the phone the day after Chicago incident, her australian accent as thick as the first time he spoke to her. "I can't believe they sent the Autobots away for them to die, and now... now they just expect to be forgiven?"

"They were," Sam had mumbled annoyed. "Optimus understands their... fear? Hesitation? I don't really know, but he understands something that he thinks somehow makes it acceptable to be treated the way that they were..." Sam sighed, laying back on his bed, listening to Carly's heels clack clacking around on the hardwood floor beneath him.

"And how does Lennox feel about that?"

Sam laughed softly, rolling onto his side. " Will? I can feel his rage all the way from here."

"That's it, I'm coming down to see you guys, ASAP," Maggie had said with finality in her voice.

That was a few months ago. Earlier this morning Sam got a text message from Maggie asking him to pick her up at the airport. It was a present surprise to hear from her after a long time of silence from her. It'd be nice to get out and see friends to forget about what's been happening recently. So, Sam smiles and bounces out to the garage, ignoring the silence of the house, to see Bumblebee relaxing in his alt form.

"Bumblebee," Sam calls, "how do you feel about seeing an old friend?"

Bee chirps happily, the driver's door popping open and the radio turns on, "Got a ride that's smoother than a limousine. Can you handle the curves? Can you run all the lights? If you can, baby boy, then we can go all night. 'Cause it's 0 to 60 in 3.5. Baby, you got the keys. Now shut up and drive."

Sam smiles lightly, running his hand along the door before sliding into the plush cushioned seats. He closes the door and puts the key into the ignition. Bee relinquishes control to Sam and surfs the radio.

"Where. Are. We. Going?" Bee asks innocently as they pull out of the garage, door shutting behind them, and out into the busy streets heading for the airport.

"Maggie's in town, she needs to be picked up from the airport. I guess it's perfect timing, I can stay at the NEST base with you guys for the duration of her stay, right? I still need to have that meeting with the President of the United States..." Sam groans, taking his eyes off the road, so used to Bee being the one behind the wheel, luckily bee foresaw this and took over control. Normally someone would be excited or even nervous about meeting/seeing the President of the United States but Sam just couldn't bring himself to be the least bit excited. Not since they nearly sent the Autobots to their deaths.

Bee chirps happily. "I've. Missed. You. So. Much!" He says in the voices over the radio. Sam laughs, patting the steering wheel affectionately.

"Yeah," Sam murmurs, staring at the scenery change around them, "I've missed you too, Bee. Ever since Carly and I started to fight... well, it's been a little difficult to come out and see you and the rest of the gang at the NEST base. But hey, we spent the entire weekend together, which is something we haven't done in a while, right?"

Bee's engine makes a hum of agreement, seemingly at ease with Sam, which make the human smile. Two vastly different forms of life that are so far apart that they come from different planets, are able to bond as if they were meant to be best friends from the moment Bee took his first breath. Like somehow, somewhere out there would be an organic that he was going to be with as best friends. That thought always made him smile.

They travel in quiet company all the way to the airport. Sam told Bee he would back (hopefully) soon with Maggie and walked into the terminal. He gets in to see that her flight was delayed about twenty minutes, so he finds a seat and sits contently, messing around on his phone and gazing around at the different people while he waits.

"Pretty crazy what happened in Chicago, huh?"

Sam blinks, turning to the young man next to him, probably a college student. "Huh?"

The younger man grins, showing off two rows of straight white teeth. "Chicago." He nods towards a t.v. screen hanging precariously on the closest wall, and a news anchor is covering national news. She's talking about the repairs to Chicago after the mysterious "terrorist" attack. It's too loud in the terminal to hear what she's saying or any of her guests, but there are subtitles, and if Sam were closer, he may indulge in reading, but it hurts his eyes to strain that far.

"Oh yeah. I know right? You'd never expect..." Sam trails off, he's such a horrible liar. He gets all nervous and sweaty and begins to ramble when he feels pressured. It's a horrible habit that has got him caught so many times in a lie. And sometimes he feels that the truth is so far fetched that whom ever he is trying to convince won't believe him so he rambles and gives the impression that he's lying-which sucks just as much, if not more, than being caught in an actual lie.

There is a long silence as the two stare at the screen, neither really watching it.

Finally, the younger man turns back to Sam, "I'm Cruser Meka," he says politely, holding out a hand.

Sam takes it, introducing himself, "Sam Witwicky."

"Are you heading somewhere for vacation, Mr. Witwicky?" Cruser asks, settling his small black suitcase down on the floor, after releasing Sam's hand. He turns slightly to Sam.

Sam shakes his head. "Nah, just waiting for a friend who is flying in today. You?"

"Likewise, except it's my brother."

Sam nods politely. This young man, maybe fresh into college with dark black hair; short, wild and untamed, with dark brown eyes in his t-shirt and jeans. He's just some ordinary average person, nothing extremely or even remotely outstanding about him physically. Which is kind of what attracts Sam to him. Cruser is normal. Okay, so maybe the name is unique but that's it. So far.

"Sam?"

Sam turns to see Maggie looking around, lost. She has two suitcases and two carrying bags on her arms. Sam hadn't even noticed that her plan had even landed.

"That's her. Got to go. It was nice meeting you, Cruser." Sam gets up and heads over to Maggie, hearing Cruser yell out, "You too, Sam!"

Maggie grins widely as he approaches. She drops her bags, except for what looks like an expensive purse to which she laid down gently, and through herself into Sam's awaiting arms. She smelled of cocoanuts.

"Oh Sam, how long has it been?" Maggie asks once she finally pulls away. Sam helps her with her bags as they head for the exit.

"Since just after Egypt, I think," Sam murmurs trying to recall.

Maggie makes a face. "I should definitely stop coming out here after a major disaster."

"No way, it's like a light at the end of the tunnel."

Maggie grins, bumping her shoulder with Sam's lightly. "Well, thank you. Oh, and Glen says hello, by the way."

"Oh," Sam says. "Give him my best wishes when you get back."

"Sure. Oh!" Maggie drops her stuff again, leaving Sam to retrieve them on his own. "Bumblebee!" She jogs over to the Camaro in her heels effortlessly. She lays her hands on the hood and smiles at her reflection in the paint. There is a low hum and a quick happy chirp from the yellow car. "How have you been you sexy Camaro, you?"

Bee chirps happily. Maggie can feel the purr of his engine beneath her finger tips.

"Mag?"

"Yeah, Sam?" The blond over her should at her friend. The brunette gives her a look tipping his chin down at his handful of her bags.

"Oh." She walks over and grabs a few bags. Bee pops the trunk and back left door. Sam puts all the suitcases into Bee's trunk while Maggie puts her carrying bags and her purse onto Bee's back seat before both of them climb into the front seats and Sam pulls them out of the airport parking lot. Which was a headache. Sam just wished everyone could have a bit of common sense.

"So," Sam says, giving up driving and letting Bee take the helm once again. "How long is your vacation?"

"Well..." Maggie trails off, pulling her curly blond locks up into a messy ponytail. "It was suppose to be a surprise but I managed to get the job out here. I mean, I'm a tech analyst for the Autobots, so there really is no better place for me to be but then with them, right?"

The radio turns on with a loud cheer and applause. People wooting and hollaring, probably from some speech Bee picked off the internet.

Maggie laughs and runs her hand along the hand on her door. "Thanks, Bumblebee, I always knew you were my biggest fan."

The applause stops and the radio station changes. "I'll be your crying shoulder, I'll be love suicide, I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life."

Sam and Maggie both smile at each other. Sam shrugs with great mirth as Bee quiets down again. "Well, thanks Bee. Um, anyway, that's so good for you, right? I mean this is the thing that you wanted, right?"

Maggie nods. "Yeah, actually this works in my favor. I come out here for months every single year, it's probably best that I finally get transfered out to do a job that's much better suited for being here anyway." Maggie sighs, rolling down the window, letting the cool breeze ruffle her curled locks. "God, I'm just so tired of human bullshit. It's one thing for it to be all we know, but since meeting the Autobots and learning what true saintliness is, I can stand it less and less."

Sam nods, understanding completely. "I agree."

There is a long moment of silence, Bee finally got them out of the airport parking lot and onto the highway heading out of town. Once they could no longer see the city, Maggie rolls up her window slightly and looks at Sam. "Sam... how have you been doing?"

"Me?" Sam asks confused, suddenly being the topic of conversation. "I'm fine. Why?"

Maggie doesn't reply right away. In fact, she turns away to look out over the vast openness. Farmlands will eventually give way to open fields. After that there will be a secret military base, that's in the middle of nowhere. What is this, like their third base, Sam wonders, or fourth? Either way, getting a new, more advanced but equally as "secret" military base as an apology for almost getting them killed.

But as per usual, Optimus was willing to forgive them once again for being poorly mistreated. A part of it annoyed Sam to no end. Autobots willingly helped the humans even after what they sought for was lost.

The Allspark. And later followed by the Matrix.

Yet the Autobots stayed and continued to get mistreated by humans. Where it annoyed him, it also continues to be one of the most important things that Sam loved about the Autobots as a race. Their unwavering will and loyalty will never cease to amaze and draw admiration from the young human boy.

Maggie draws his attention back by saying, "I heard... about you and Carly..."

Sam is quiet, thinking about all the times him and Carly had a screaming match since Chicago. She was grateful that he and the Autobots risked their lives to save her, along with the human army's help. She understood what it meant to be involved with the Autobots and she even understood what Sam had gone through before even meeting her. She couldn't understand how Sam and Mikaela were able to overcome it. The nightmares, the weary look at every mechanical device; big or small, and always wondering; always waiting for the next attack, the next evil plot. The stress built up and it leaked into their relationship.

"Carly and I are..." he pauses, trying to think of the right words. Okay? Fine? Dealing? He couldn't say that that, because it wasn't true. "We will be okay. She's seeing her family and talking to some government therapists... Look," Sam turns to Maggie to look into those big blue eyes. "you too, Bee, Carly isn't sturdy like Mikaela and I. She didn't take almost dying well."

"Sam, I get it. I had to have some therapy after the Autobots first arrived... and after that tiny Decepticon tried to kill us. But, that shouldn't lead to her biting your head off for something you couldn't control and to be honest, as horrible as it sounds, you didn't have to go back for her," Maggie says, cold and even. "You could have very well died going back there."

Bee makes a noise of distress.

Sam wants to be mad at Maggie, but he can't. Just like he can't be mad at Carly. He understands that it's hard to swallow and even harder to deal with. Maggie is just telling him the painful truth. The cold reality is that Sam could have died in Chicago, like died more than in Egypt and there would be no Matrix to save him.

"Look... I get it, really, I do. Can we... Can we just not talk about this anymore? My stress level is like through the roof and I mean, if you want to be the cause of a major stress related illness in my future, you'll just let it go for now, okay? Can we do that?" Sam rambles, like he always does when he wants to avoid a conversation... or is nervous... or whenever he talks to anyone... at any time.

"Fine," Maggie rolls the window back down all the way. "Can you turn on some music, Bee?"

The yellow bot obeys and turns on some soft rock song Sam isn't familiar with. Sam rolls down his window and looks out at the fields as they pass by carelessly and freely. Sometimes Sam thinks it must be fun to be an inanimate object, something without thoughts, or feelings or even obligations. Yeah, lacking any... or all of those things sounds nice.

Or at least that's always an initial thought, but that's usually the stress and irritation talking. When Sam stops to think about his life, and he visits this line of thinking a lot, he knows he'd never really give up the time he spent with Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. Hell, even Mikaela, whom broke his heart, and Carly who's getting dangerously close to it too.

To be quite honest, the line that he had asked Mikaela before any of this got so serious, before he was so far in that he couldn't get out, Sam had asked, "50 years from now when you look back on your life, don't you want to say you had the guts to get in the car?" Now thinking back on his life, and even though 50 years have yet to pass, Sam is glad that he got in the car.

"Maggie," Sam turns to his friend, one of the few that have been in this since the beginning, "thank you. Really, thank you. I know that you're just looking out for me. And, you know I appreciate it, right?"

Maggie stares out the window for a moment longer before looking over at Sam, her face turning sympathetic. "I'm sorry, really. I went overboard. You didn't deserve to be treated like that. You certainly don't need me to question your choices. I'm sorry."

Sam smiles tiredly. "No, sometimes I need a kick in the ass to get me going. We're even."

Maggie smiles in return. "Deal."

Once they make it to the Autobot base, the military presence exceeding any of the other bases. This is also by far the largest and most elaborate. Definately new and made for Autobots specifically.

"Cool new home, Bumblebee," Sam says amused once they finally get through the checkpoint.

Bee chirps happily.

 

Some military men help remove the luggage from Bee's trunk and back seat. Once the car is empty, Bee transforms into his bipedal mode. He poses with his hands on his hips, gazing around at the military base. Seeing Sam's comment as acceptable, his radio turns on, "Sweet home Alabama! Where the skies are so blue! Sweet home Alabama, Lord I'm coming home to you."

"I always know when your home, Bumblebee," Optimus says affectionately, rounding the corner with Will and Ironhide behind him.

Bumblebee makes a series of happy noises at his leader, probably telling him how happy he is to see him. This has been one of the longest times Bee has been away without visiting, excluding the time when he was doing recon on Earth looking for the Cube. Mind you, a few months is nothing compared to a Cybertronian life span, but seeing his family everyday safe and sound is a blessing.

"Hey, Sam, Maggie, about time you guys made it," Will greets walking over to the new arrivals. Then to Maggie, "How was the trip?"

"Long," Maggie says but adds affectionately, "but worth it."

"Welcome back, Maggie. It's good to see you again, Sam," Optimus drops down so he can look at the two humans more on their level.

Sam smiles familiarly. "Yeah, thanks Optimus, the hospitality of the Autobots is always a relief."

Maggie nods. "Agreed. But just so you know, you'll be seeing me around base more often. I got approval from the Government to move my base of operations out here, something I've been trying to do for years. You can't begin to imagine how surprised I was when my supervisor told me. He also may have mentioned some request from an anonomous source for my assistance. And asked for me by name." She gives Optimus a knowing look.

Feigning innocence, Optimus says, "I believe it was by luck that your requests were finally heard."

Maggie nods again, smiling. "I bet."

"You sir," Bee says, piecing together other people's voices, pointing at Optimus, "is a liar. But know, that your commitment and heart is noted."

Optimus stands up, chuckling with mirth. "I can't fool my best scout, can I?"

Bee waggles his finger at Optimus with a "no sir."

"You're in an awfully good mood, Bumblebee," Ironhide grunts. "Happy to be home?"

"Me and you and you and me, no matter how you toss the dice, it has to be. The only one for me is you, and you for me, so happy together!" Bumblebee's radio sings as he gestures to the base around him, amusing all that are present. "I've never been so happy in my whole life!"

Maggie laughs. "I enjoy a man who's easily pleased."

"Alright, alright, why don't we let Sam and Maggie get settled in," Optimus suggests, straightening up to his full height.

Both humans thank the Autobot leader as Will waves for them to follow him. Both Will and Sam help Maggie carry her luggage to her new residence. They take a few minutes to finish their greetings and agree to meet up in the canteen for dinner when Sam and Will say their goodbyes and head to Sam's temporary residence.

"Welcome back, Sam," Will says, standing in the doorway as Sam unlocks his door and turns on the light to the quaint little room with a bed, televison, dresser, closet, attached bathroom and a closet. "Hopefully for a while, right?"

Sam nods, turning to the Lieutenant Colonel. "Yeah, for a while, why?"

Will shrugs, pushing himself off the wall. "The Autobots are more at ease when you're here, is all. They're pretty protective of you, you know."

Sam nods. "Yeah, I know. They're worry worts is what they are."

Will nods, pursing his lips. "I can agree to that. But it's only cause they care, I hope you know."

"I do," Sam says quickly. "It's just a bit... much sometimes, you know?"

"Look, I'm not telling you what you should or shouldn't do. Sam, it's your life. But, I'm just gonna say that the longer you're here, the easier it is to deal with the Autobots is all." Will grins, then with a little wave, he turns around and heads off.

Sam closes the door and takes a few minutes to clean out his single duffel bag and sit on his bed to relax for a few minutes.


	2. Just another day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Sorry about the long wait, I've been busy with school. Thanks for reading so far. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 4,554
> 
> "Your genetics load the gun. Your lifestyle pulls the trigger." ~Mehmet Oz

It's always nice to eat with the military men. All of them usually in a good mood. Camaraderie high among them. Robert Epps sits with Will, Maggie and Sam. The four of them talk over simple, nonclassified information about what's going on around the base and what's up with the government.

"So, Sam, I hear that you are going to see the President again," Robert says, taking a bite of mashed potato. After he swallows, he asks, "getting another award? Maybe he'll give you a boat."

Will snorts, laughing. "That's a really random thing to just give someone." Then in his President Obama voice, he says, "Thanks for saving the world Samuel James Witwicky for the third time, here's a boat!"

At that, even Sam had to laugh. Maggie decides to join in. "A space station in your honor!"

"A community college!"

"A school system!"

"A library!"

"A monument!"

"A river!"

Will ducks his head down, laughing loudly. Between gasps of air, he yells out, "A Country!"

Maggie had to laugh at the absurdity of it all. "Okay, I can't beat that one. Country, it is."

Sam looks between the two of them for a silent second, Maggie and Will grinning at each other, before the Hero looks over at Robert Epps. He shakes his head in mock disapointment at Will's second in command. "Really? Look at what you started."

Robert nods, grinning. "But come on, how cool would that be?"

"Not," Sam says calmly, but with mirth in his eyes. "I mean, I still want to be normal, no matter what has happened since Mission City. I'm just starting to accept that I probably don't have a choice in the matter anymore."

Robert nods in understanding, reaching over and slapping Sam on the shoulder. "That's the spirit, Sam. Keep thinking like that and you may make it through this life yet." Robert says with a touch of affection. Over the years, the ever reliable and comic relief, Robert has kept a close, brotherly eye on Sam whenever he was on base.

"But really, is it going to be another medal?" Maggie asks, looking at the youngest in their group. All Sam could do was shrug.

"I haven't the slightest clue."

They stay and chat for an hour even after they finish eating. But eventually Maggie had to stand up stretching onto her tip toes, hands high above her head, her shirt rides up a bit, showing a ribbon of flesh on her stomach for just a moment before she drops her hand down to her sides. "Alright, I have to hit the hay. Jet lag is finally catching up to me. Goodnight, everyone."

The three boys call out goodnight and resume talking.

"The white house is practically grovelling at Optimus's feet for forgiveness. You know, thanks for saving our asses, can we make it up to you by building a bot friendly base for you and listen to everything you say until the next disaster," Will says in a mock polition voice. Sam couldn't help but think that Will was good at doing other people's voices, which brought a ghost of a smile to his lips, then quickly vanished once the words registered.

"That is until other thoughts start appearing in our heads, then under the bus you and logic go," Robert finishes.

Sam nods slowly. They laugh and joke about it now, but humans are stupid. As humans, Sam knows that they lack compassion overall for what they don't understand. And not many humans understand Cybertronians. Actually, from what Sam can tell, the only humans that can, aren't complete dicks. Will, Robert, Maggie, the other military men that have dedicated the past few years working with them, and as far as Sam has seen none of them have even been the least bit mean or rude, or anything of the sort.

"They don't deserve this," Sam says quietly, looking down at the table, "Optimus, Ratchet, Mudflap and Skids, Ironhide, Arcee, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, Prowl, Wheeljack, Wheelie and Brains. And Bumblebee..." Sam trails off thinking about the yellow Camaro. "My buddy. God, he doesn't deserve any of this. None of them do and yet this shit keeps happening to them."

"I know, Sam, I know," Will says somberly.

Will's and Sam's brown eyes lock and Sam says quietly, "If they get kicked off of Earth, like they were last time... where would they go? They can't go to Cybertron and they can't stay here...? Where else is there to go?"

Will shakes his head, having no answer for that. These questions... they weren't the first time Will had heard them, or even asked them himself. What are the chances of the Autobots, who have done nothing wrong, finding another planet to inhabit that has lifeforms that are somewhat civil? Are the Autobots even capable of repopulating a new world, especially if they have to start from scratch?

Without the Allspark, can the Autobots even repopulate? The thought chilled Sam to the bone, because if they can't, then Sam really did just put Cybertronians on the 'Endangered Spiecies' list when he shoved the Cube into Megatron's spark. And that didn't even kill Megatron, it merely delayed him for his next attack on Earth with the help of the Fallen.

Feeling depressed, Sam stands up, rubbing the back of his head, fingers tangling a bit in loose curls. "Guys, I got to get some sleep. This just hasn't been a restful couple of days." Sam looks around the Canteen to see they are one of the last groups of people there, excluding a group of two guys, and one of two girls and three guys in seperate corners of the Canteen. All talking quietly together, being respectful of those around them. The two guys laugh rather loudly, then quiet down noticing their volume.

"Night Sam," Will says quietly.

"See you tomorrow, Witwicky," Robert gives a little wave.

Sam gives a little salute with his pointer and middle finger. "Night guys."

Bumblebee is waiting outside for him when Sam walks out. Surprised, Sam walks over to the hood. "Hey, Bee, I didn't know you were waiting out here. I would of came out sooner, had I known."

"Baby, we got all the time in the world, so, why don't we take it nice and slow?" Bee's radio plays quietly, being mindful of the darkening skies and the quietness that has settled over the base.

Sam smiles lightly, laying his hands on the sleek yellow hood, the moon a spot of white in the center of the hood. It's a half moon tonight, Sam thought, tracing the outline for a quiet moment. "I know, Bee. All the time in the world."

As if sensing that Sam was bothered, Bee popped open the driver's side of the door, inviting him in. Sam obliged climbing in, door closing behind him. Sam pulls the seat belt across himself as Bee moves slowly through the dark streets. Sam can see Optimus by the medbay talking with Ratchet, both gave the Autobot and his charge a nod as they drove by.

Sam took this time to appreciate the large buildings and the unique architecture probably a primitive to something similar on Cybertron. Which was good, Sam thought, this is the Autobots home now. He just wished that everyone else thought the same thing. Sure, a part of Sam is happy that he's one of the few people that the Autobots know and directly look to and care enough to befriend, but Sam wouldn't mind sharing them with the rest of the world so long as they never had to worry about not having a home to return to.

Bumblebee makes a noise of sadness, then very tenitive his soft british voice comes through the radio. "Sam? Your trembling, are you cold?" But Sam could tell Bee knew that probably wasn't the case.

There was trembling, but no tears. None even building. But then again, Sam never cries. He's always been strong and he'll continue to not cry. He'll continue to be able to handle whatever is thrown at him.

A few deep breaths later, the trembling stops and his back straightens in the plush leather, a weak smile on his lips. "No, sorry Bee. I'm just thinking about stuff. I'll be okay, alright?"

Bee's real voice comes through again. "But, I do worry, Sam. I'm-" there is a horrible clinking under the dashboard and Bee's alt form jolts to a stop, the car physically recoiling as if in pain.

"Bee? Are you okay?" Sam asks, rubbing the steering wheel comforting.

Unfortunately for Bee, Ratchet and Optimus were still close, and having heard the noise and the painful movement, the fitful medic makes his way over. Bee tries in vein to tell them that he's okay, but that horrible clinking noise makes it impossible. Sam barely got out the door Bee popped open before the yellow bot transforms into his bipedal mode, making noises as if in pain. It's a horrible keening sound the brings Sam back to Mission city when Bee lost his legs and back in Egypt when Sam died, and he was just slipping away.

"Hold still, Bumblebee," Ratchet says dutifully, zapping Bee's throat with a lazar, to which he recoils from. Optimus plucks Sam up and moves him away before the thrashing Autobot can land on him. Sam notices the streets filling up with NEST personal and other Autobots, all coming to see what's going on. Most are armed, thinking that they were under attack but lower their weapons when they see that's not the case.

"Slag it Bumblebee, quit that yowling, all you're doing is hurting yourself more!" Ratchet snaps, zapping him with medical lazar again. The panicked bot doesn't seem to hear, he's pulling at his throat.

"Bumblebee," Optimus says softly. "It's okay. Calm down."

The sound of his leader's voice is finally what called Bee's attention and he quieted down, still holding onto his throat. Ratchet scans him one more time.

"Bumblebee! I told you not to use your audio vocalizers! I told you that you were going to hurt yourself until we get the parts we need to repair it," Ratchet snaps, clonking the yellow Autobot over the head. "Now do you believe me?"

Bee nods quickly, ducking under another clonk to scoot over to Optimus, still rubbing his neck.

Optimus shakes his head at the scouts begging look to get the medic to back off. "You heard Ratchet, Bumblebee. No more talking until we can repair your vocalizer. Now go to the medbay to rest, you'll need it."

Bumblebee makes a noise of protest, flinches slightly looking over at Sam still being protected by the leader of the Autobots. He points at Sam and looks back a Ratchet as if to say, "But I have Sam to worry about."

"Don't use me as an excuse," Sam says, looking down at the pitiful eyes of his guardian. "Besides, that sounded like it really hurt. You're gonna have to see Ratchet anyway, what's delaying for the whole two minutes it'll take for you to drop me off and get back to medbay?"

Bumblebee looks about to protest, when Optimus holds up a hand to stop him. "Sam is right, Bumblebee. Go with Ratchet, I'll make sure Sam gets home safe."

"Let's also not forget that I left the Canteen with the impression I was walking home anyway and Bee showing up was a pleasent surprise. But I am very capable of walking home with an Autobot guarding me," Sam says evenly. "I'm not helpless, I know it probably doesn't always seem that way, but I assure you I'm not."

There is a moment of silence. Finally Ratchet nods cripsly, turning to Bee and grabbing the back of his neck. "See? Optimus and Sam have this handled. Now, let's go."

"Aww man, Sam jus' sai' he don't need Bumblebee," Mudflap says to his twin.

"Shi' man, dat's gotta hurt," Skids says back. Bumblebee glares at the younger set of twins. Ratchet's glare soon follows when Skids adds, "uh, you think Bee's broke?"

Mudflap considers, "Dat was a horrible soun'! I bet Hatchet's gone take Bumblebee to da shop."

They both shiver at that, neither noticing the menacing look both the Chief Medical Officer and Scout are sending their way.

"Wha' you think he does with them extra parts?" Skids asks.

"Make himsel' a better personality mod," Mudflap laughs.

Wisely, all military men and Sideswipe move aside, knowing how Ratchet is when dealing... with anyone is.

"Listen up, you identical bags of bot, if you don't want me to remove your vocal processors your next check up, you will smarten up and shut your yap," Ratchet warns in a snarl. Both sets of twins tremble, although only the younger set is under sqrutiny. Sam suspects that this isn't the first time that Ratchet has put either sets of twins in their place. "Now let's go, Bumblebee," Ratchet snaps, patience gone. With his hand still around the back of Bumblebee's neck, he leads the yellow bot away, but not without said yellow bot shooting Mudflap and Skids a dark look.

"Oh, Skids... I thin' we done made dem made..." Mudflap says softly.

"I suggest you two stay as far away from Bumblebee and Ratchet for the next couple of Earth days," Sunstreaker offers, moving over to his twin and both share a look that says, "So should we."

"Yeah, yeah we migh' jus' do dat," Skids says nodding. "Let' skidaddle, Mudflap!" And with that the green and red twins run off to their residence as fast as they can to avoid any more confrontation for the time being.

Sam rubs the back of his neck, sighing, much like Optimus' exasperated release of air through his vents. Finally, Sam looks up into Optimus' blue optics. "I meant what I said, Optimus. I don't need a babysitter twenty-four-seven. I get that you guys want to make sure that everything is okay and that I'm fine, but I'm not completely helpless. I can function without an Autobot looking over my shoulder. Like I told Bee before I went off to college, I appreciate it, really I do, but you guys are living beings too and always being so concerned over me isn't fair to you guys," Sam says all in one breath. He gulps in a few lung-fulls of air, chest tightened painfully, before he gives Optimus a tiny shrug. "You know what I mean?"

Optimus makes a humming noise in his chest, looking around as the group disperses, everyone going back to what they were doing before Bumblebee got hurt, excluding Optimus and Sam.

"I do," Optimus starts slowly. "Is it inconvenient to have someone with you all the time?"

Sam shrugs again. "Not really, but I just don't want to make a big deal out of not having someone there. I mean..." Sam sighs again, he shifts slightly on Optimus's palm. "I love that you guys care, really I do. But just now, Bumblebee was more concerned about getting me home, a two minute drive, a five minute walk if I hurried, than to see what's wrong with his throat, you know?" Another shrug. "I just want you guys to be like, 'I need to look after myself, Sam should be fine by himself' not 'I've put off seeing Ratchet for a while, now I have to find someone to look after him' kind of thing."

Optimus nods in understanding, an affectionate look on his face. "Thank you, Sam."

"For what?"

"For being the way you are. I'm not sure how to explain it, but thank you. I understand how you feel and I sympathize. To be very honest, you are not a burden to us, in fact all of us Autobots care very deeply about you. It's never a matter of duty, especially for Bumblebee, to watch over you, or even obligation, it's merely because we want to make sure we have you with us for as long as we can. We've seen how short a human's life can be and we want to make the most of it. As for what just happened with Bumblebee, at that point," Optimus pauses to chuckle with great mirth, enough to make Sam smile, "I believe he would do anything to avoid getting zapped in the neck with a lazar."

At that, Sam full out laughed. "You sound like you've been on the receiving end of a lazar to the neck."

Optimus grunts, lowering Sam to the concerete gently. "On more than one occasion, Sam, more than I'm willing to admit."

 

Optimus walked Sam home after assuring the young human that he was not a burden on the Autobots and that they didn't feel as if they were forced to look after him and that they did it of their own free will.

"You are important to us, Sam," Optimus had said and Sam was inclined to believe him. It was nice to be told that he was cared for especially all the bad that has been going on in his life. Mind you that there has been so much good that has happened since that fateful day a the car dealership. It started as a young boy and his first car, and now the two were best friends and he had met all kids of amazing people like; Maggie, Will, Epps and all the other military men and women, and Autobots alike.

The hard times were difficult to get through and sometimes seemed impossible to do so, but he somehow made it and it's made him stronger and a better person because of it. And he wouldn't give up all of the good times for anything in the world-even if that meant getting rid of the bad.

Sam lays down slowly, turning off the lamp next to his bed. Gets into a comfortable position and begins to drift off, deciding that he's going to go see Bee first thing in the morning to make sure he's okay, he drifts into a deep sleep.

 

Sam woke up the next morning to hear that life was already rolling outside the window whilst he slept. With a bleary eyed glance at the clock, Sam distinguished, vaguely, that it was roughly ten o'clock. Which surprised Sam. He doesn't have any problems sleeping it's just that he's been so restless lately that he doesn't sleep as long as he would like or as well as he would like, last night was different. Sam is up and fully energized and ready for the day.

With a smile, the brunette got showered and dressed for his day.

A ringing caught his attention, his phone lights up from where it sits on his bedside table. Grabbing it, he sees it's a call from Carly.

"Hello?" Sam says, putting the phone up to his ear. He sits on the edge of the bed to put his shoes one, hair still damp from his shower. "Carly?"

"Hey Sam," Carly's thick english accent flows musically through the hearing piece. "How are you?"

Sam stands up and walks over to the door, locking the door behind him, only to turn and see Bumblebee parked right in front of him. He pats the hood affectionately, moving over to the drivers side. "I'm doing good. I'm at the Autobots base."

"Oh? How is Bumblebee doing? I didn't get to... say anything to him before I left." Carly sounds hesitant at the mention of the yellow bot.

"Bumblebee is doing good. Say something, Bee," Sam turns the phone on speaker.

Bee pulls away from Sam's home and makes his way to the Canteen. The radio turns on and "Hey, hey lady! Op-op-op-op-oppa gangnam style, gangnam style."

Sam laughs lightly at that. "Nice choice of song, Bee," he says softly before taking the phone off speaker and putting it back to his ear. "Anyway, how is Britain? Cold this time of year?"

"A bit," Carly says just as softly. "It's nice to hear that Bumblebee is as lively as ever. Everyone else doing well?"

Sam rubs his forehead, good mood diminishing. "Everyone is okay, Carly, look, they aren't who you called about, are they?"

"No... I just... miss you."

Sam feels his features soften. "I miss you too, Carly. You're my lovely, gorgeous, amazing lady."

Sam can hear the smile in her voice. "Really? You still think so? Even after how I've been acting lately?"

"Well, no," Sam says in feign seriousness. "I'm kidding. Of course! It takes a lot to be able to get over something as traumatizing as being kidnapped and almost dying. Trust me, I know that all too well."

There is a long pause, finally Carly says, "Do you think it'll ever be okay? Do you think we'll ever be okay?"

"Yes," Sam says confidently. "We will be just fine. I love you, you do know that, right?"

Carly laughs softly, as if relieved. "Yes, I know. I love you too."

After they say their goodbyes Bee rolls up to the Canteen. Sam looks over at Bumblebee's steering wheel. "Are you coming in with me?" Bumblebee transforms into his bipedal mode and nods, moving a bit to go through the Autobot door.

Sam gets his food and goes to sit on the floor in front of Bumblebee, one of the yellow Autobot's long legs was laying flat on it's side and folded close to his body, while the other was bent at the knee. Bumblebee has a try of green energon cubes sitting next to him.

"Is your vocalizer thing okay now?" Sam asks, taking a bite of his eggs. Bumblebee considers before giving the so-so wiggle of his hand. Sam makes a face, swallowing. "So-so? What's with the so-so?"

Bee's radio turns on and a series of different voices come through. "Perhaps not okay... for now the patient is stable... a long way to go before full recovery."

"Does it still hurt?"

"Negative Captain."

Sam nods. "Good. So long as it doesn't hurt anymore, than it's fine for now, right?"

Bumblebee makes a noise of affirmative, nodding his head, blue optics wide. They ate for a couple of minutes in silence, the Canteen nearly empty since most have eaten breakfast hours prior. There is maybe two other people in there. That is, until Sideswipe and Sunstreaker walk in, getting trays of energon and walking over to us. They complete the square with the twins sitting across from each other. The four of them talk about nonsense when Sam got an idea.

"Hey, do you guys know how to catch food in your mouths without using your hands?" Sam asks.

The three bots consider before shaking their heads. Sam grins, grabbing a bit of egg before carefully throwing it up and tipping his head back and shifts slightly so the bit of egg misses his teeth and lands on his tongue. Sam holds his hands up in success as the three bots stare in a mixture of interest and amusement.

"You try, Sideswipe," Sam encourages.

"Yeah," Sunstreaker says coyly. "Impress me."

Sideswipe grabs a cube and mimiks Sam, tossing the cube up and tilting his head back only for the cube to innocently bounce off his cheek. Sunstreaker caught it before it hit the ground, much to Sideswipe's chargin, and tosses it up, tilting his head back and only barely manages to catch it. Screams and applause raise from Bumblebee's speakers. Sunstreaker grins at his spark twin.

"That was my energon cube," Sideswipe says annoyed. "Give me one of yours, then."

Smugly, Sunstreaker tosses one to him. "Fine, weepy sparkling."

Sam watches in amusement as the twins try to out-do each other. Both immediately get the hang of it and then the compatition ends and they just have fun until all the little green cubes are gone. Bumblebee, being unable to patrisipate sits back and watches in amusement, clapping and cheering every once and a while. Sam finds himself laughing as the twins finished with their final energon cubes.

Bumblebee makes happy whirling and clinking noises, clapping.

"Now don't you wish you had a humanoid face, Bee?" Sunstreaker asks, looking over at the yellow bot with bright blue eyes.

Bumblebee makes a low whistling sound, blue eyes lowering slightly.

"I don't," Sam cuts in. "I like Bumblebee the way he is. He shouldn't have to change." Three pairs of blue optics flicker over to the small human. Bumblebee trills happily, eyes brightening up. Sam stands up, stretching his legs before reaching up to affectionately touch the ball on Bumblebee's chin. "Don't worry, Bee, I'll think of something fun that you and I can do."

Bumblebee nods, clapping his hands again.

 

"This one?" Sam holds up a peppermint green dress shirt for Maggie to see.

She squints. "Ew. Please don't tell me you wore that to see the President of the United States the last time." She plucks it from Sam's hand and tosses it onto his small dresser and looks through his bare-bone closet for a different dress shirt. Sam groans and plops down on his bed, throwing a hand over his eyes trying to get the stress from his body, especially his shoulders.

"To be honest, I wasn't nervous earlier when I heard that I was going to meet the President again, but now that the day has come," Sam groans, "I'm so nervous."

"Yeah, I get it. Here, try this?" She holds up a light blue shirt. Sam climbs to his feet and walks over to her in black dress pants and a white tank top. He slips on the blue shirt and buttons it up, looking over at Maggie for her approval. She nods and smiles. "Lovely. Now, I noticed you didn't answer my question."

Sam rolls his shoulders. "I didn't, but I've never been good at this sort of thing. My... my mom picked out my last outfit."

Maggie laughs grabbing his tie and wrapping it around his neck. "That doesn't surprise me."

"Hey," Sam jokingly defends. "My mom is quite the accomplished clothes picker. She picked out my clothes every day until I was fourteen. She's got a good fashion sense." Sam laughs loudly. "Okay, now what?"

"Now, we wait until the helicopter is fueled to take you to the White House."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used:
> 
> 1\. All the time in the world- Dr. Hook
> 
> 2\. Gangnam Style- Kidz bop


	3. Obama's Permission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Sorry for the slow update. Let me know what you guys think so far. I'm still trying to get the story together on paper. It's so much harder to do than the way I had originally imagined it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 4,062

"Welcome to the White House, Mr. Witwicky," some secret service man greets Sam at the heliopad. He waves for Sam to follow him. The young man goes through a series of checkpoints and many tests before he can even get into the waiting room to see the President with the secretary's promise of "He'll be right with you once he finishes his meeting."

Sam twiddles his thumbs while he waits. He doesn't have his phone to mess around on-they took that away. Security has tightened even more since the Autobots and Decepticons showed up. There is a very limited amount of electronics let around the President. Nervously, Sam begins to hum a nonsense tune while jingling his leg.

The President's secretary glances up at the young hero with a less-than-amused look on her face. She a hawk-like woman with sharp features and tiny frame. She looks like she takes her job very seriously, which Sam would expect. She has dark hair pulled back into a tight bun and dark green eyes. And she keeps giving Sam this look that says, "I see through your pretty boy act and I won't take that shit, you hear?" It unnerves Sam a bit. Reminds him of his English teacher in seventh grade. Man, that lady never cracked a smile.

Her phone rings and she picks it up after the first ring. "Yes, this is Joyce...yes he is. Yes of course, sir." She hangs up and gives Sam a pointed look. "The President will see you now."

Sam nods stiffly moving to stand quickly and has to physically force himself to stop shaking from nervousness and wiggles his limbs to get them to relax slightly. Sam Witwicky is no coward. He face Megatron for heaven's sake! A human in comparison is nothing! Just as Optimus has said, humans are capable of great compassion but also great cruelty.

There is no truer statement said when dealing with high-schoolers.

Sam takes one last deep breath to calm his nerves before he follows the Secret Service guide into the White House Oval Office. The same as last time, there was a bunch of people and Sam barely had enough time to think before the President pulled him up to him and began to congratulate him once more and commending him for his great service to the country and all that. Sam hardly got a "yes, Mr. President" and "thank you, Mr. President" before he was handed a medal and a manila folder, took a couple pictures and then he was sent away.

Sam's head is literally spinning, trying to get himself balanced. He finally grasps reality to find himself crawling into the helicopter to head to the Autobot base. Sam has to put his head in his hands and concentrate really hard to fully comprehend what just happened. Was it like this last time? Sam remembers time going by fast when he was in the room with the President but it slowed down when he went to leave and ran into Carly for the first time.

"Are you alright, sir?" the pilot asks, looking back at Sam.

"Huh?" Sam looks up. "Oh, yeah. Thanks."

With a curt nod, the pilot turns away and takes the helicopter up. Sam looks down at the medal in his grasp but doesn't even read what kind it is before he's looking at the manila folder. When the hell did he get this? Stamped across the front in red letters is "CONFIDENTIAL" and Sam has to force himself to put it down and not open it right then and there. He probably has to read it somewhere secluded and with no prying eyes. He really didn't know how that sort of thing worked.

Sam scoots over to the window to watch the scenery pass him by. He cradles both the medal and the manila folder in his hands.

Will was there to greet Sam upon his arrival. He helps Sam off the helicopter.

"How was the trip?" Will asks, leading Sam away from the powering down helicopter.

"It was okay, it looked to me like the secretary would rather be anywhere but there and was unimpressed at the mere sight of me. She reminded me of an old teacher of mine. I didn't like that teacher all that much... and then I think I met the President, but now thinking back, I have no idea," Sam says, loosening his tie.

Will laughs. "I bet, so what medal did you get?"

Sam shrugs handing the medal to Will. "No clue. What is it?" He looks down at the folder and the red letters on the front, still having to stop himself from opening it right then and there.

"Sam! This is a Medal of Honor! Do you have any idea how important this is?" Will asks, practically shaking the medal at Sam. The naive boy shrugs.

"No idea, isn't there some game called that?" Sam scratches his head. Will smacks the back of Sam's head, making the boy yelp and move away, rubbing his sore head. "What was that for?"

Will shakes his head. "Sam, the Medal of Honor is the highest honor military honor that can be bestowed upon someone for acts of valor above the call of duty. It's a big deal!"

"Oh," Sam smiles sheepishly. "That's good then. I'm glad. But there is others that earned this much more than I did. Like... maybe the Autobots. Like all the Autobots. They didn't have to come back..." Sam trails off, rubbing his chin in thought. Will gives him a weird look to which Sam shakes his head in response. Will hands the Medal back muttering something about "kids these days".

Sam heads to his house and quickly changed out of his clothes and into jeans and a tee-shirt. He quickly sat on his bed and poured the contents of the manila folder. First he notices a blackberry phone. He turns it on and looks down at a typed up letter addressed to him personally.

Samuel James Witwicky,

As the President of the United States of America I would like to apologize for what I'm sure was a very swift ceremony. There is much going on at the present time and a President's job is never done. As a starting point, I would like to personally thank you on behave of the U.S for your acts of valor and loyalty to the safety of your friends and family and the rest of the United States populous. But alas, a single medal, no matter how much prestige it holds means nothing if no one knows anything about it. As a representative of the people, I thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. As token of my appreciation, I would like to offer two things:

One; the Autobots need a liaison that genuinely cares about the safety and equality of both them and humanity. So in return for your constant assistance in saving our world I would like to make you the liason between the Autobots and humanity. Should you accept this offer there is instructions on the blackberry that will get you into contact with the Secretary of Information, Charlotte Mearing, for more information.

Two; either choice that you end up making, one thing will be promised, for so long as you desire it, you will be permitted residence with the Autobots on whatever base they occupy at any given time. It has been noticed that the time that is lost forcing you away from them is only a monumental waste of time. To be the most efficient way to go about keeping the Autobots at ease and focused would be to also, and I mean this in the most polite way possible, is access to you.

It goes without saying the the three most major events in human history all revolve around you and the Autobots. My cabinet has been informed and expressed their concern with a simple college graduate being allowed access to military and top secret information, and so this was put in place to ease their nerves. You have spent a great deal with the Autobots and are one of the few that know them very well-and they value your opinion and your safety as well. If you accept you will be doing a great deal for yourself and for your country. At the current moment, I am busy and must attend to my duties swiftly. Thank you for all you have done and all that you will continue to do in service for your country.

God Bless America,

President Barack Obama.

And then at the very bottom is his signature, all official like.

The President of the United States of America wrote a personal letter to him asking Sam to be a personal liason for the Autobots. About damn time. Sure, Sam wanted to be normal, but he also wanted to do something that matters. And being the personal go-between for the Autobots and America, finally letting his friends get the attention and kindness they deserve goes under the category for something-that-matters for Sam.

Sam looks down at the powered up Blackberry. There is only one contact, it's Mearing. Sam slips the phone into his pocket and places the letter aside to look at what else is left for him. Some documents, a personal I.D letting it be officially known that he is a worker of the Government and something tells Sam that the President didn't have a shadow of a doubt as to whether or not Sam would accept the job. There is also a contract information and other details about social security and deposit and other stuff that meant virtually nothing to the enthusiastic brunette.

And then he say a small medal case marked with the Autobot insignia. Inside was a collection of medals and a small note saying, "A personal request is that you hand these medals off to the Autobots. It has been decided that it would mean more to them that you were the one to pass them along, than anyone else." Sam smiles at that, knowing that it probably would mean more to them to get them from Sam, but even to get them at all. It's a great honor to even be considered. Especially since they aren't from Earth.

Sam gathers up the papers and medals into the folder and makes his way to the door. He has to tell Optimus. And Bee. And Sideswipe. And Ratchet. And Ironhide. Everyone!

Sam locks his door and full on sprints to the Autobot hanger, hoping and praying that this isn't the once-in-a-blue-moon where there isn't at least three or four Autobots there.

The young hero had to force himself from sprinting all the way there and bursting into the room. He's pretty sure that do more harm than good, seeing as the Autobots would probably expect it to be some sort of attack at first. And this is a happy occasion-not bad. Sam can feel a little more of his faith returning to humanity for this action.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart outside of the hanger, Sam straightened up, feeling excitement tingle in his toes and fingertips. Finally, once he's sure that he can speak without rasp or breathiness, he opens the door and goes in. Sam thanks both God and Primus for his luck when he sees Prowl and Arcee right off the bat, then after taking a few more steps in, he sees Sunstreaker and First Aid.

"Hey, Sunstreaker, Arcee, Prowl, First Aid!" Sam calls when there is a mutual pause in both conversations. All four Autobots turn at the sound of their voices. Arcee sees him first and walks over, looking down with big blue eyes.

"Sam, hey," she greets, voice smooth like honey.

"Sam!" Sunstreaker jogs over, kneeling so he can look at the small human. "How was the meeting with the President?"

"President?" Sam echos, confused for a second. "Oh, yeah, that was fine." He waves it off. "I actually need to talk to as many Autobots as I can. Preferably with all of you together if I could."

Prowl suddenly looks concerned. "Is there news from your President that concerns us?"

Sam blinks at that, suddenly realizing how that sounded. "Oh, no. no. This isn't anything bad, Prowl." He says, looking up at the white mech. "In fact, if anything, I think it could be considered good news." Prowl relaxes slightly but still looks weary.

"I'll patch a call to all available Autobots if you would like," he says, shifting slightly to look away for a brief moment.

"What's the news?" Arcee asks, looking eager.

"Yeah, define good," Sunstreak says, also with a glint of excitement in his eyes.

Sam shakes his head. "Not yet, this has to be shared with everyone. Oh! Make sure that Optimus is definitely here!" He calls to Prowl. The white Autobot nods, not looking at him.

First Aid, being a timid and quiet bot shifts slightly away from the others, making sure not to get into anyone's way. White painted arms cross a red torso.

"Hey, First Aid!" Sam calls, looking at the timid bot over Arcee's shoulder. The pretty blue bot moves out of the way slightly so Sam can see the white and red bot better.

First Aid jumps slightly, looking down at the small human. He hasn't been on Earth for more than a few weeks and the first thing he did when he showed up at the base along with the Autobots that met up with him at his crash site was accidently knock over a rack of guns and then stumble back, hitting a vehicular opening; damaging it, and then to make it worse, he stepped on a human and really hurt him.

Having learned that the humans were well liked by his fellows, needless to say that First Aid spent the next few days apologizing to both Optimus and the human he hurt. Optimus had said that so long as he was sorry and promised to be more careful, he was forgive, the human on the other hand laughed when First Aid showed up to apologize saying that that was the first time he has ever been stepped on, let alone being apologized to for it. He harbored no ill will, in fact First Aid and the human became good friends.

"First Aid?" Arcee says softly, knowing the bots jumpy nature. "Sam is talking to you."

First Aid's optics shutter for a moment before they focus on Sam. "I'm... I'm sorry. What was that, Sam?"

Sam smiles lightly. "I said that I like your paint job, is it freshly done?"

An embarrassed rush of air exits First Aid's vents as he nods. "Yes, Corporal Jacobs did it for me. He said that... it looks good..."

Sam nods, "He was right."

Blue optics widen. "Really?"

Sam nods. "Yup."

Arcee looks over at Sunstreaker, hand on her hip. "And yet he wonders why any of us like him?"

Sunstreaker nods, moving to stand; knowing he wont get anything from the tight lipped human until the others show up. "I know, right?"

Other Autobots start to pile in so Sam goes over to the large walkway so he can speak a little more on their terms and have less of them crank their heads down to look at him. Bumblebee makes a trill of happiness upon seeing Sam and immediately goes over to see him. Sam reaches out to affectionately touch Bee's vocalizer that's where his mouth should be.

"Miss me?"

"I miss you, miss you so bad!" Bumblebee's radio plays. Sam can feel the vibrations through Bee's vocalizer. Then a series of voices from the radio ask. "How was... seeing the... President of the United States of America, Barak Obama, everybody!" And then tilts his head slightly to show it was a question.

Sam scratches his head. "It was okay, I think. I don't really remember much..."

"What...do you mean by... that?" Bee tilts his head the other way in confusion.

Sam runs his hand through his short loose curls, considering getting it cut soon. "Well, sometimes... well, if something is really fun or exciting time just kinda goes fast, blurring details and stuff."

"But... time can... neither speed up...or slow down..."

"I know. It's just..." Sam pauses, trying the best way to explain. "It's like when your doing something really fun and it feels like you've only done it for like an hour but when you check and see the time, two hours or even three have past. Get it?" Sam sighs when Bee makes a hum of confusion. "How about... oh! When you're recharging, has you ever felt like you just closed your eyes and suddenly you're opening your eyes and hours have pasted?" This time Bee nods. "It's like that, except I was awake."

"Oooo..." Bee says intrigued.

Sam grins. "Thanks Bee, having to explain the complexities of humans to you makes me feel really smart. It's also effectively perfecting my quick wit. See, I knew you were lookin' out for me." Sam laughs when Bee points at him and does the whole bend the thumbs to look like the cool kid on the block.

"Bumblebee," Optimus says with mirth at his scout's actions, getting an embarrassed squeal from the yellow bot who then proceeded to scratch the back of his head and stepping back so that his leader could speak to Sam directly. "Sam."

"Hey, Optimus!" Sam greets. "How are you?"

"Good, Ratchet was able to fix a chink I've had in my shoulder since Chicago," he says.

Sam's eyebrows rise. "You didn't look like anything was bothering you."

Optimus waves Sam's surprise away. "Nothing major or life threatening in any way, but it was an uncomfortable grind in my gears when I would turn into my alt form."

Impressed, Sam says, "I never noticed. You're really good at phasing the pain."

"Pardon?"

"Not letting it get to you," Sam amends.

"Ahh yes, well it wasn't detrimental as I said, merely comfort issue than anything else."

Sam shrugs. "It could still of become a problem later on, so I guess it's a good thing that it was fixed now, right?"

Optimus's optics glow fondly. "Agreed. Now, is there a particular reason you called us all here, Sam?"

Sam makes a quick head count, making sure most of the Autobots are there, which thankfully they were, and even some of the soldiers pile in. Sam can see Maggie and Robert make their way over to Will who was standing on one of the balconies around the perimeter of the room, so humans can be closer to the Autobots' faces. Once Sam is sure that all the Autobots are present and that everyone has quieted down enough for him to speak, he looks back to Optimus and says, "I have something for you and the rest of the Autobots." That makes a bunch of blue optics perk, still quite a bit of weariness in Prowl.

"Oh?" Optimus says curiously, kneeling down so that he's eye level with Sam.

"Is i' a present? I love presents!" Skids jumps up and down. "'Cept that delayed missile tha' Mudflap through at me back on Cybertron, tha' was a dick move."

Mudflap snorts. "Pussy, tha' was hilarious. Hey, hey Sam! If ya'll got some gifts, don't...don't give Skids one."

"Hey, no fair Mudflap. Hey, Sam, don' listen to that slagbag."

"Shu' up!"

"No, you!"

"Hey, both of you shut up," Ironhide snaps. Once the younger twins finish glaring, but quiet anyway, the weapons specialist nods at Sam. "Go on, Sam."

Sam laughs lightly. "Thanks, Ironhide. And no, sorry, these aren't really presents that can be played with, Mudflap, Skids."

"The' wha' the hell kinda gift you tryin' to give to us, Sam?" Mudflap calls out.

Sam considers. "Something more along the lines of...sentimental."

"'Sentimental'?" Skids repeats. "Does tha' sound girlie to you?"

Mudflap nods, both shrink under Ironhide's glare.

Sam takes a moment to stare at the twins before looking back over at Optimus with a smile. He digs around in the manila folder and pulls out the box. He opens it up and holds it closer to Optimus's face so he can see the medals inside. "The President wanted me to give these medals from the U.S Government to the Autobots as thanks. You'll have to ask a military man what any of these mean, but... yeah." Sam smiles bigger. Optimus's optics grow wide in surprises as I'm sure he's looking online for what each of these medals mean.

Finally, he smiles softly and Optimus's holo form appears and takes the box gently, as if afraid he was going to break it. Optimus's holo form is a tall man, about 6'3 with short black hair and bright blue eyes. He's muscular and looks to be mid to late 30's. He looks down at the small medals, all different shapes and colors and all meaning different things.

Optimus look over at Sam with a genuinely happy smile on his lips. "Thank you for giving this to us, Sam."

"The Autobots have earned it," Sam says softly. "Earth is just as much the Autobots' home as it is humans."

Optimus looks absolutely touched, which makes Sam's heart flutter in happiness. "Thank you, Sam. And thank all of the brave men and women of the U.S Government for allowing us to call this beautiful planet home." The other Autobots follow Optimus's example and say their thanks as well. All the NEST operatives begin cheering and clapping, yelling praises to the Autobots, whom shuffle or beam at the praise and attention.

Sam smiles up at Bumblebee. "And you doubted me, didn't you?" Sam jokes.

Bumblebee shakes his head. "No, never..."

Sam rolls his eyes, reaching up to touch Bee's vocalizer fondly. "Liar. Didn't Ratchet ever teach you it's not polite to call your new liaison a liar."

Bee makes a mocking noise and then pauses. He tilts his head to the left in confusion, then perks up. His eyes lighting up like suns. He points at Sam, practically bouncing up and down in excitement. "You... Sam... you!"

Sam grins. "Yeah, it's me, Bee."

Bumblebee makes a low swooning noise and jumps around like a puppy.

"What's up, Bumblebee?" Arcee asks the yellow bot. He turns to her and makes a series of clicking noises that Sam can only identify as Cybertronian. That catches Optimus's attention and soon all the Autobots are listening to an ecstatic Bumblebee.

"Sam's going to be our new liaison?" Wheeljack asks, looking at Bumblebee, who nods ferociously.

Bumblebee's radios turns on. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a party in the USA!"

"Hey, congrats, Sam!" Arcee says, smiling affectionately.

"So, you...you will be around more often...?" First Aid ask. Sam nods.

"Now it' a party!" Skids laughs.

Will leans against the railing, yelling over the voices to Sam. "It'll be good to have you around more, Sam!"

"Thanks, Will!" Sam yells back.

Optimus's holo form turns to Sam with that affectionate look on his face. "It will be a pleasure to work with you again, Sam."

Sam nods, grinning broadly. "It'll be nice to spend some more time with you guys, Optimus." Bumblebee scoops Sam up into chassis, cradling him gently, but he spun them around making noises of happiness. Sam laughed and looked forward to these moments in the future.

That night was the first night Sam had the dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used:
> 
> 1\. Slipped Away- Avril Lavine
> 
> 2\. Party in the USA- Miley Cyrus


	4. Sam's best firend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Wow! This is my longest chapter EVER! I'm so sorry that it's going so slowly, but I'm still trying to build relationships while at the same time trying to show that there is in fact a plot. I really hope that people like this story. Hm. Please enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 5,099
> 
> "The families in position for great financial power obsessively interbreed with each other. But I'm not talking about one Earth race, Jewish or non-Jewish. I'm talking about the genetic network that operates through all races, this bloodline being a fusion of human and reptilian genes." ~David Icke

Sam found himself floating in a world of swirling whites and grays and blacks. Sam doesn't know how he knows, his eyes are closed. But he knows that the swirls are big and small but even if their sizes aren't the same, when every single swirl ends in a tiny plume of smoke. Sam feels at peace here. He feels like he's curled up safely in Bumblebee's back seat. Nothing can get him. He is surrounded by Bumblebee, but surrounding Bumblebee is layers of other Autobots, all of them ready and willing to give up their lives. Not that the prospect would ever seem ideal for Sam, but it's the thought that counted. The willingness.

The young hero was also aware that even though it felt like he was in a room surrounded by Autobots whilst safe inside of Bumblebee's alt mode. He was also aware the he wasn't in Bumblebee's alt form he felt so safe, felt them so close. For a moment, while dreaming, Sam became aware of the Autobots. Bumblebee outside his room. Ironhide, Arcee, Skids and Mudflap along with Wheeljack are all in the Autobots barracks. Ratchet and First Aid in the Medbay. Optimus and Prowl in the security room. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are out patrolling the perimeter of the base.

He can feel them so clearly. Feel the pulsing of each of their sparks as clearly as he could hear the pulsing of his mother's heart beat when she would hold him at night because of a bad dream. Steady, strong. Thump...thump...thump...

Then Sam opens his eyes and he's back at the Autobots base in his room, curled up on his bed.

Slowly Sam sits up and stretches, mind whirling over the dream. What a sense of awareness! Sam has never had a dream like that. It was so vague yet he remembered each detail with acute clarity. This definately one to tell Bumblebee. Maggie would probably find it interesting too. Sam has to remember to call up Mearing and talk to her about the job.

A flashing in the corner of Sam's eye turns his attention to his pants on the floor, half hanging out of the pocket is his phone, the light flashing to let him know he has a message. Sam trudges out of bed and over to his phone, scooping it up and then sitting back down at the edge of the bed, He has a couple of text from his mom asking him how he's doing and how the Autobots are getting along with the NEST members. After a few quick replies, Sam also notices a message from Carly wishing him a good morning.

Sam's head drops onto his hands letting out a loud groan. Tension building between his shoulder blades as the entire situation falls onto his back like a ton of bricks. Carly would never agree to living here with Sam. She would never be able to handle being surrounded by all these giant alien robots. Sam loved each and every one of them to bits and pieces but Carly tolerated them. When Sam gets home, he needs to have a serious talk with her. Maybe, just maybe, he can convince Carly to give it a shot, because really that's all he can do, right?

"Uggghhh," Sam groans running a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his neck. "Perfect."

Sam's happiness from the prior day returns in the form of a small smile. This really is a good thing. Sam just hopes that he can do the Autobots and the brave men and women of NEST some good with him being in place of Mearing. Sam can be the Autobots' friends, that he's good at that, but can he say no when the time comes? Sam doesn't think he'd ever really have to say no, not that he foresees ever having to...but still...

Making his way to the bathroom, Sam sheds the rest of his clothes, turning the water on and plugging the drain. He goes back into his room and grabs a change of clothes, a towel and his phone, all of which he puts next to the tub. Once a steaming hot bath is done, Sam lowers himself into the water and closes his eyes, letting the warmth relax him. The warm water helps releases the tension in his body.

Sam bathed in silence, listening to the water sway and the building creak around him. He tries to imagine what his life is going to be like after he gets this job. Spending days going between the Autobots base and meetings with who ever-Mearing?- about what's going on in the Autobots' side of life. Spending all kinds of time with the Autobots, hearing and learning more about them and someday-whether it be by stray Decepticon attack or by old age or even sickness-die. The thought is sad, but undeniable. Even the Autobots at some point in their life will have to die.

Sam opens his eyes and leans over, grabbing his phone. Careful not to drop it in the water, he leans over the edge and calls Carly.

After the second ring she picks up.

"Sam?"

"Hey, Carls. How is it going?"

"Oh, it's going good. My family wishes to give their regards. How is everyone?"

Sam lays against the porcelain edges of the tub. "Everyone's doing good. I actually went to see the President yesterday."

"Oh yeah! I remember you saying something about that. How was it? Did you get another big medal?" Carly asks, a teasing undertone to her voice.

Sam smiles. "For your information, it's huge. Way bigger than my last one. Yeah, now I'm going to have to beat the ladies off with a stick to keep them away if you know what I'm saying."

Carly laughs. "Should I be jealous?"

Sam nods, regardless of the fact that she can't see him. "Yeah, yeah, definitely." He laughs a little, smiling with mirth. "But, um, I got some medals for the Autobots from the U.S military and stuff, which was a good thing..."

"Sam, that's fantastic!" Sam had to smile at the genuine sound in her voice. Maybe, just maybe, this would all work out. "I bet Optimus was ecstatic."

"Oh yeah, the big guy was really happy. I mean, he didn't say too much, but I could tell. Yesterday was a really good day."

"I wish I could have been there," Carly says softly which makes Sam's heart flutter with happiness. He shifts, the water splashes around the sides of the tub.

Sam swallows thickly, trying not to get his hopes up just yet. "Maybe you still could."

There is a moment of silence before Carly hesitantly asks, "You think so?"

"Yeah. I bet the Autobots would love to see you. Plus I'm starting to feel bad for leaving Wheelie and Brains back at home." Sam laughs again, thinking about the two small former Decepticons in control of the house.

"I'll be back home tomorrow afternoon..." Carly trails off. "Maybe I could come out to see you. I could bring Brains and Wheelie if you like?"

"Yeah. I would love that. I could come out with Bumblebee to pick you guys up. Would you like that?"

I can hear Carly shift over the phone. "That would be great. So... I'll see you tomorrow?"

Sam nods, then realizes that she can't see him. "Yeah, just let me know when you find out what time your flight is coming in and the airport that you'll be getting in. I'll see you then."

"I'll see you too. Love you, Sam."

"Love you too, Carly."

After the line dies, Sam puts down his phone and relaxes back in the tub. He takes in a deep breath and submerges beneath the water. All noises are muffled and dimmed. Sam opens his eyes to see murky surroundings. He closes his eyes again and brings his head back up from beneath the surface of the water before pressure built in his chest and lungs.

"So, Bumblebee, do you have a few free hours?"

The yellow Autobot pauses eating an energon cube. He stares blankly ahead in the telltale sign that he's checking his schedule. After a moment he nods, looking back down at Sam and holds up three fingers.

"You got three hours?" Sam asks, munching on frosted flakes. Bumblebee nods, making a happy chirping noise. "Good. How does a wash sound?" Bumblebee perks up at that, his radio crackling to life.

"I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it! I'm about to lose control and I think I like it!" Bumblebee's radio sings before being cut of. The radio buzzes as it switches stations. "Working at the car wash! Oh oh, yeah yeah! At the car wash. Ooh yeah yeah!"

Sam laughs loudly, covering his mouth so he doesn't spit out his mouthful of cereal. Chewing fast and swallowing, Sam snickers, "Those two songs are vastly different! I'm having trouble being able to tell is I spoil you too much or not enough." Bumblebee gives the small human hero the Autobot equivalent to a 'puppy eyes' look. Sam takes another bite of cereal, smiling up at his guardian as said Autobot eats another energon cube happily, obviously excited for his wash.

"Someone is in a fabulous mood this morning," Maggie observes, walking up to the pair with a plate with a bit of eggs and toast. She sits on the floor next to Sam, pulling her jeans up and adjusting her shirt before lowering herself to the floor. She notices the look Sam gives her and shrugs. "It's a girl thing." Sam looks up at Bumblebee.

"Can you make hide or hare of that?"

Bumblebee shakes his head. "Negative, Captain." Before he looks down at Maggie. "Jerry's car wash is the place to go yall!"

Maggie nods, amused. "And, uh, who's Jerry?" Bumblebee points down at Sam. "Oh yeah? I thought the J always stood for James."

"Shows... what you... know."

Sam snorts at that. "I'm pretty much free for the next couple of days until I have to head home and quit my job so I can start working here and get all my affairs in line. So, silly me, thought that there was a chance Bumblebee wouldn't be free enough for a wash. He's looking a little dingy." Sam grins up at Bumblebee to show that he meant that in the most loving way possible. Bumblebee snorted indignant.

"Awesome! Can I help?" Both the human and Autobot nod.

"Oh, which reminds me, Bee," Sam looks back up at the Autobot. "I need to go pick up Carly tomorrow, are you free? I'm not positive on the time yet. She text me sometime either later on today or early tomorrow."

"Am free... most of tomorrow... but... have prior engagements... just past noon."

Sam nods. "Cool, I'll let you know and see if I can find someone who's free in case they happen at around the same time."

The Autobot nods and the three finish up the their breakfast in silence. As the trio walk to the Autobot hanger, around back there are hoses and buckets and stuff for the humans to clean their vehicals and help out the occasional Autobot should the need arise. Most Autobots don't mind being a bit dirty, it's not like humans. They get dirty so much easier.

"So, Sam," Maggie finally speaks, brushing shoulders with said boy as they head to the hanger. Bumblebee keeps a few feet away to avoid stepping on the two humans or any other human that randomly crosses their path,"I heard that you called that woman... umm... M...Mmm...M-something yesterday, right?"

"Mearing?" Sam offered the blond woman who nodded at the offer. "Yeah. Her assistant answered, said that Mearing already knew I was going to accept and had already made the necessary documents for my transfer or something. She's going to be stopping by personally in like a week to tell me the full details of my job and put me on the payroll or something. That and she's sending a booklet of government regulations that I have to memorize and be prepared to start right away. So... yeah."

"That's good. I've noticed the Autobots appreciate having you nearby," Maggie smiles up knowingly at Bumblebee, who nods shameless.

Sam grins up at his guardian too. "Yeah. I feel like I've been told something similar before."

Bumblebee trills happily. "You...are my best friend."

"Likewise, Bumblebee." Sam's grin has a tinge of affection and love.

Maggie grips her hands behind her back and smiles at the two. She had a long chat with Will and Robert the day prior, after Sam had announced the news about becoming the Liaison to the Autobots and they all got over their initial excitement.

"They really like Sam," Robert said when the trio finally got out of the hanger after congratulating Sam and the Autobots.

Maggie shakes her head, looking at Will's second in command and best friend. "No, Robert. They love him. Sam did everything he could to help them, whenever he could. He's not just a hero to humans and Earth, but to them too. Sam didn't have to get involved past getting the Cube to Bumblebee or Optimus, but here he is, years later, still helping them in any way he can. I'd love him too in that situation. Not that I don't, but you know." She shrugs nonchalantly, smiling at the two.

Will nods. "Yeah. Optimus died for him. I'd call that love."

No one could deny the affectionate looks and unwavering loyalty that the boy has for the Autobots and the Autobots have for him.

Sam's glad he's in shorts, a tee-shirt and sneakers so it doesn't matter if he gets wet or dirty, but Maggie is in dress pants and a nice creamy pink top along with heels. So Sam off-handedly mentions that it wouldn't be comfortable to be kneeling in dress pants. Maggie agreed with a grin and they made a quick stop at Maggie's house for her to change.

She re-emerges a few minutes later in old black and white converse, short jean shorts and a loose grey tee-shirt. Her hair is pulled up into a messy bun. She smiles at the two. "Ready?"

"In the wise words of Optimus Prime, 'let's roll out!'" Sam waves as the continue on their way to the hanger. Bumblebee chirps at Sam's impression of his leaders words. Bumblebee transforms into his alt form as Sam and Maggie collect buckets with water and soap, a hose, and a bunch of rags and they begin cleaning the Autobot.

Bumblebee pops his driver's door and music begins playing as the two word. Sam and Maggie sing along to the songs they know, cleaning Bumblebee thoroughly. Occasionally, one of them will hit a sensitive spot on the Autobot and his entire alt form will tremble and bounce, letting out what could be the Autobot equivalent to laughter. Jerking away to avoid little human hands only to be coaxed back over by Sam or Maggie, whomever did the tickling that time, with the promise to be more careful.

Before long Skids and Mudflap appeared covered in mud. They casually walked by, seemingly oblivious to Sam, Maggie and Bumblebee. Sam rolls his eyes at the twins and calls out. "You two want a wash too?"

"Well, gosh," Mudflap says, looking down at himself as if this was the first time he noticed how dirty he and his twin were. "I'ma thinkin' that would be..." he smiles down at the two humans, "appreciated."

"Dummy, you don' know wha' preciated means!" Skids says, laughing.

"'Least I know how ta say it! Ah-pre-she-a-ted!" Mudflap snaps, playfully smacking Skids in the back of the head.

"Ow man, that hurt!"

"It's an ass whoopin' suppose to hurt."

Maggie laughs, cleaning one of Bumblebee's mirrors. Once Sam and Maggie finish, doing a once over to make sure the yellow camero shined-and he did, like the sun- they sent Bee on his way with a few minutes to spare to get to where he was needed today.

"I'll take Skids, you take Mudflap," Maggie says as the two twins transform into their alt modes. The two humans dump out the used water and refill the buckets with fresh soap and water and began cleaning. Skids and Mudflap fight with each other the entire time, although unable to do it physically, they resort for name calling and lots of crude words that keep Maggie and Sam amused.

Sam pulls back to admire his hard work. A cold trail of sweat on his forehead and down his back between his shoulder blades. Sam pats Mudflap's hood affectionately. "Alright, Mudflap. You're done."

The young hero moves back so said Autobot can transform into his bipedal mode and inspects himself. While he's doing that, Sam tosses the rag into the bucket and looks down at his prunie hands. Sweat drips into his big doe brown eyes. He quickly wipes it away.

"How is it, Mudflap?" Sam asks, squinting up at the red Autobot.

After another moment of appreciation, Mudflap gives a goofy smile down at Sam. "Lookin' good, Sam. You shoul' seek a career in car washin'."

Sam rolls his eyes skyward. "Yeah, 'cause that's every young man's dream."

"Damn," Skids says, standing up in his bipedal form. He admires himself. "I look good. Better than Mudflap-but that's 'cause he's ugly."

Maggie snorts, turning away as the twins launch into an argument. The two humans gather up their buckets, rags, and roll up the hoses. They clean up the area with a strict warning of "Don't get dirty or scratched for the next 24 hours!" and headed their separate ways promising to meet up later.

"Are you sure that you have enough time to come with me?" Sam asks as he drives Bumblebee to the airport to pick Carly who's plane is suppose to be landing in a couple minutes.

"Yes," Bumblebee's radio plays. "And before you ask... I am... positive!"

Sam runs his thumb over the Autobot symbol on the steering wheel as the radio turns off again. "Good. I'm actually kind of nervous to see Carly. To tell her about the job, actually." Bumblebee makes an inquisitive noise so Sam continues, "You know how she was really shaky after Chicago? Well, she's been really worried about the Decepticons and betraying Autobots and such. Plus, you know the whole being kidnapped thing would scar anyone, right?" Sam shrugs, trying to justify Carly's mistrust and worry. "I mean, any normal person would be weary to be involved with alien robots from outer space, right?"

Bumblebee makes a strange noise, his radio turning back on. "You weren't."

The radio dies again and the inside of Bumblebee is silent. Sam actually had to mentally bring himself back to when he was 17 years old and his car revealed himself as an alien. Almost dying by the hands-er-claws of Megatron. Then killing said Decepticon only for him to be resurrected later-but that's not the point! Straining his memory, Sam remembers the night terrors, the shakes, the wondering. He remembers jumping at the microwave beeping or his alarm clock ringing or even the fire alarm wailing.

"No, I did," Sam says quietly. "I was just better at hiding it." He smiles lightly when Bee makes a noise of distress. "But, I had a kick ass car to help me forget and besides... I had a lot more to lose than my sanity. I would've lost my best friend." The seat around Sam grew warm as Bee purrs happily.

"You're my best friend," Bumblebee says softly in his british accent.

Sam couldn't even force himself to be mad that Bumblebee used his real voice even though it could happen. He smiles, watching the road. "I know. Who'd of thought right? Both of us would have an alien for a best friend?"

"Primus did," Bumblebee says softly, then the radio cackles to life. "He sent me to... Earth... to meet you. To find... my best friend."

Sam had to really wonder if there could be any chance of that being true. Could it really just be chalked up to coincidence? Does Primus really exist? If he did, is he who we see as our creator? Are they one in the same, or is there really more than one? How can two being so different, yet so much the same, be from millions of light years away from each other?

Sam pats Bumblebee's hood as he got out and makes his toward the airport. Luckily he spots Carly right away. Naturally, her beauty also caught the attention of other people. Specifically, a man who kept insisting on something, Carly kept shaking her head.

Being chivalrous by heart, Sam rushes to her rescue, grabbing her hand and pulling her into a quick kiss. She beams at him.

Acting innocent, Sam looks at the guy who was harassing Carly. A tall, lanky guy with bright blue eyes dark hair in his eyes. "Oh, hi. Are you Carly's friend?"

Carly lays her head on Sam's shoulder, staring at the stranger. "No, but he was offering to help me out because I have a boyfriend who doesn't know how to show up on time." The blond pinches Sam's side, making him jump, but thankfully no girly squeal followed the jump.

Clearing his throat, Sam smiles at the guy. "Hey, thanks man, but I, uh, got it from here. So... yeah. Let's go, babe."

Not arguing, Sam helped Carly carry her bags to Bumblebee. She lightly pets the back door when she opens it.

"Hello, Bumblebee." Carly says softly, Bumblebee's lights flash in acknowledgement.

The two climb into the Autobot's alt form. Then the trio head on their way to Sam and Carly's appartment to pick up Wheelie and Brains.

"Are you sure that it wont be a problem for me to come with you back to the Autobot base?" Carly asks, looking at Sam.

Sam nods, watching the road. "It is, right Bee?" Bumblebee chirps through the radio. "See? So, don't worry about it. I mean, come on, if they didn't want you to be there, don't you think that they would say?"

Carly does a little shrug. "I guess not. Thanks."

Sam smiles. "Any time babe."

"Hey! Hey, Sam, welcome home!" Wheelie runs to the door when he hears it open. "I thought yous was suppose to be home after Carly."

Sam nods at Carly that follows him in. "Well, we came back together. Actually we're going to spend some time at the Autobot's base, you and Brains want to come?"

Carly smiles down at the little Decepticons, when Brains rolls into the room. "Yeah, I think it would do us some good. We're sorry that we left the two of you by yourselves. I hope you didn't miss us too much."

"Nah," Wheelie waves her words off. "Brains and I have just been chilling, that's all. Some bonding time, ya know?"

"That's good," Sam says. "So, do you two want to come along? I don't know how long we'll be gone."

Carly looks over at Sam, but doesn't say anything. The two Decepticons nods, sharing a look with each other before they rush off to grab some of their things. Once they return Sam carry them both out to Bumblebee, smiling coyly at his neighbors as they stare on in suspicion. The two Decpeticons sit on Carly's luggage in the backseat while Carly and Sam sit up front again.

"Yo, Bumblebee, nice to see you lookin' so sleek. I'm guessin' ya'll got a car wash." Wheelie says knowingly. Bumeblebee whirls happily through the radio. "Hey, Sam, mind sharin' the love?"

Sam rolls his eyes. "It won't be a thorough of a wash considering how small you are, Wheelie."

Brains laughs as Wheelie says indignant, "Big sparks come in small packages!" Sam rolls his eyes playfully, not all that sure what that saying is suppose to mean.

The ride back to the Autobot base is filled with Wheelie and Brains' chatter and the occasional quip or two from Sam and Carly. Once and a while Bumblebee would play a song, or use voices over the radio to convey his thoughts or opinions. At some point during the drive, Carly reached over and took Sam's hand. The two shared a tiny smile at each other but said nothing.

Once they got back to the base, they went through check point, Wheelie and Brains had to be confiscated for a few minutes to make sure they were who they say they were before being released again to Sam's custody.

"This is racial. I ain't no Decepticon no more!" Wheelie snaps at one of the guards, he holds up his hands in apology.

"Discrimination," Brains agrees. Carly and Sam remove Carly's luggage from Bumblebee and he transforms into his bipedal form, stretching.

Sam squints up at Bumblebee, the late noon sun blinding him. He uses his hand as a visor. "You gotta go now?"

Bumblebee nods, waving a little to the two humans and two Decepticons before jogging off towards the central intelligence station at the far side of the base. Sam, Carly and the two Decpeticons make their way to Sam's house. Brains and Wheelie quickly drop their stuff off on Sam's dresser and scurry out of the room, yelling back something about going to see Optimus.

Carly puts one of her bags on Sam's bed and turns to him. She smiles lightly and walks into Sam's open and inviting arms and they kiss softly. Carly lowers her head to Sam's shoulder and relaxes, closing her eyes.

"I missed you," she whispers.

Sam kisses her hair. "Not as much as I missed you."

Carly is quiet for a moment. "Sam, about how we left things..."

"Don't even concern yourself with that. It's done and it's over with. I know how you feel and you have every right to feel it. Coming to see the Autobots even after all of that, it's brave, Carly. Really brave, and I'm proud of you." Sam kisses her hair again and holds her close, showing her that he means every bit of it.

"Thank you, Sam."

"Hey, Prowl!" The white Autobot turns at the sound of his name. He looks around confused for a moment. He blinks in confusion at who could have said his name. "Down here!"

Bright blue optics lower all the way to the floor by his feet to see the former Decepticons Wheelie and Brains. He lowers a hand for the two to jump onto. "By your presence, I assume Bumblebee and Sam have both returned as well?"

"Yes, and Carly is with Sam," Brains tells the Autobots second in command. The Autobot nods slowly, still looking inquisitively at the small Decepticons.

"Where's Optimus?" Wheelie asks.

Prowl logs into the Autobot leaders schedule. "He's currently running recon with Sunstreaker and Wheeljack. Why?" He eyes the small Decpticons.

Wheelie and Brains share a look. Wheelie sighs and looks away.

"You tell him, Brains."

Brains blinks a few times before looking up at the narrowed eyes of the second in command. "While Sam was away... here, I should say. He was visited..."

Prowl stares at them confused. "I am no human expert, but from what I understand sometimes humans just drop in to see other humans. There is usually no malicious intent."

"Yeah, that's the point. Usually is the key word," Brains says.

Sudden worry grips at the white Autobot's spark. "Was the visitor not friendly?"

"Ah, yeah, they's was friendly... unless Sam was home. We were able to hide, sos they didn't see us... but I'm sure.. it'd been different if Sam was home." Wheelie says quietly. "They wrecked the place looking for him. It happened just before Carly was supposed ta get home, so we was goin' tell her when she got there, but Sam was wit' her and asked us if we's was willin' to go wit' him and Carly. Like Unicron were we gon' stay."

"They were armed as well," Brains adds.

Worry crosses Prowls face. "Were you able to discern anything about them? What they could of wanted from Sam?"

Both Decpeticons shake their heads.

Prowl growls, worrying on how Optimus and Bumblebee will handle this news. Hell, any of the Autobots. Sam is much more than a simple human to them. Optimus cares for the humans as a race, but individually he cares especially for Sam. And of course, Bumblebee will leap headlong into danger to protect Sam at all costs.

Clearing the worry from his face, Prowl looks down at the two Autobots. "Thank you for bringing this information to me. Go and see Ratchet, tell him of the situation, let him download your audio and visiual banks of the occurence." Both little bots bob their heads in agreement. "Tell no one else, but Ratchet. I will inform Optimus. Be prepared, he may want you eye-witness account." Both nod again. Prowl lowers them to the ground and watches as the two bots run off to the Medbay to find Ratchet.

Prowl clears his throat, steels himself for his leader's reaction and heads out to find Optimus, figuring the Prime will only be more upset if he knows that Prowl didn't seek him out right away especially since it concerned Sam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used:
> 
> 1\. I'm so excited- Pointer Sisters
> 
> 2\. Car wash- Christina Aguilera


	5. It piles on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Yay, I love it when people leave comments. It motivates me to update faster. So, I know, I'm just kind of pilling on the plot but it'll slow down and get all of the important stuff out of the way. Don't worry. I'm almost sure I know what I'm doing. Also, keep in mind that I don't believe in all of these quotes, like the one displayed in this chapter, but merely that it's there to set up what's going to happen in the future. Maybe no so much the words but the so much for reading so far. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 4,023
> 
> "I do not believe we can blame genetics for adultery, homosexuality, dishonesty and other character flaws." Jerry Falwell

So, it was no surprise to Sam that Carly and Maggie didn't like each other. To be clear, it wasn't like Maggie and Carly couldn't be civil around each other, they just choice to do it in the most under minding, manipulative way. And nine-out-of-ten times, Sam doesn't even see it coming. Just when Sam thinks that the two are acting civil or just ignoring each other, Sam hears later that "the looks she sent me-you wouldn't believe it, Sam!" And he didn't. He couldn't. He didn't even know it was happening! Will and Robert sympathised, sorta. If the pitied looks meant such things.

That night, after the eventful dinner that Sam would rather not recall, brings him back to the present. Him and Carly and clearing out space in the room for Carly's stuff and to accommodate Brains and Wheelie for the time they spend in the room.

"I don't know what it is about her that just pushes my buttons," Carly was saying, as she folded up her shirts to put into a drawer.

Sam just shrugs. "Me neither. I think she's great." Carly shoots Sam a look and he smiles sheepishly. "Come on, Carly, Maggie one of my best friends. You two don't have to be best friends, but you could at least be civil. Or ignore her, at this point it doesn't even matter," Sam mumbles the end.

Carly sighs, walking over and climbing into Sam's lap. She looks down into his doe brown eyes and smiles. "Okay, Sam. I'll try."

Sam kisses her lips. "Thank you."

A knock at the door, startles the two from their moment. Carly climbs off of Sam to go answer the door. An army man is there, he says something to Carly and she turns to Sam. "It's for you."

Sam walks over to the army man and smiles when he recognizes him. "Oh, hey Jordan."

Jordan smiles. "Hey, Sam. Sorry I didn't get to greet you when you first got here. I've been off base a few days. How have you been?"

Sam nods, leaning against the doorframe. He can hear Carly continuing to put her stuff away behind him. "It's been good. It's nice to be away from work and the stresses of being a middle class man." Jordan laughs at that. "But it's also nice to get to hang out with Bumblebee and the other Autobots without worrying if someone sees them or they step on a building. You know?"

Jordan nods. "Yeah, I feel you. So, hey, I'd love to chat again some time soon, but I have a message to deliver. Optimus Prime and Lieutenant Colonel Lennox want to see you at the Central Intelligence building as soon as possible."

Sam frowns at that. "That doesn't sound too good, does it?"

Jordan gives Sam a look. "Sometimes, Sam, I don't pity you." That makes Sam sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"Awesome." He turns to Carly, who is pretending to mind her own business. "Hey, Babe, I'm going out for a bit. Optimus and Will want to talk to me. I shouldn't be too long."

Carly turns to look at Sam, she chews her bottom lip. "Do you want me to come with?"

Sam shakes his head. "Nah, we should be fine. It shouldn't take too long."

Carly nods. "Yeah, okay."

Sam slips on his shoes, not even bothering to tie his shoes. "I''ll be right back," he says again, pulling the door closed behind him. Sam and Jordan walk together to the Central Intelligence building, talking about nothing important, just about how they've been doing and what's new since the last time they saw each other. Jordan is half mexican on his mom's side. He has a big family, he's the oldest of seven siblings, that he takes care of while working for NEST, they pay well and he gets friends for life.

They make it to the Central Intelligence building in record time. Jordan pardons himself at the door, when he was sure that Sam wouldn't skip out for one reason or another, and heads out. Sam goes in to see it's a large building, really big so the Autobots can walk around freely. This is the place where Maggie will be working. They intercept signals from outer space, regulate energon detectors, and decrypt messages left by Autobots or Decepticons of old. Searching ancient ruins for other messages of Cybertronian decent.

There are lots of rooms and stuff for Autobots to bunk and have meetings and such. The place is so big and complex that Sam could barely make heads or tails of it all. Luckily though, Sam didn't have to worry about where to go, Arcee was there waiting for him in the main hall.

"Hey, Arcee!" Sam smiles at the pretty blue Autobot.

Blue optics flicker down to the small human. She kneels down and inspects Sam for any injuries. When she's sure no harm came to the boy at any point since the last time she saw him, she moves to stand, nodding for Sam to follow.

"This way, Sam, Optimus is waiting to speak with you."

Sam nods, following the Autobot. She walks slowly so she can stay close to Sam. Sam cranes his neck to look up at the Autobot. "So, Arcee, do you know what Optimus wants to speak to me about?"

Arcee pauses, hesitation on her face. She looks down at Sam, but starts up walking again, not sure what , or how much, to say about the matter before Optimus gets the chance.

"Sam, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to say anything until after you have spoken to Optimus," Arcee says, slowly.

Sam stops and stares at the Autobot took a step or two more before she realized she was no longer being followed. She looks down at the human and notices the hard look on his face.

"Arcee... what Optimus has to say... I'm not going to like it, am I?" Sam gives Arcee a knowing look.

Arcee has to look away with a quiet, "I'm sorry, Sam," and a little wave for him to follow her.

Sam steeled himself for the worst and obeyed the silent command. The rest of the trip is in silence as they make their way further into the building. They finally make it to a large room and filling that room is none other than Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Prowl, Will, Ironhide, Robert, and Ratchet. They all quiet down and turn to look at Sam and Arcee when they enter.

Bumblebee moves over to Sam, his big blue eyes wide, metal eyebrows knitted together in worry. Sam shakes his head at Bumblebee's concern.

"I'm okay, Bee." He smiles thinly at the Autobot for a moment, then frowns and moves around his guardian and heads to the platform that Will and Robert were standing on. When he gets there, he notes Will and Robert's uneasy looks, and turns to Optimus, who hasn't taken his eyes off of Sam since he entered the room. "Okay, I'm here. What's up?"

"Sam," Optimus draws, as if trying to muster the courage for something. His blue optics close and he lets out a long sigh. "Sam, something has happened back at your home, while you were visiting us here."

Sam's heart quickens and he has to clear his throat uncertainly. "So, so... what does that mean? Was it Decpticons?"

"No, Sam," Will says, sparing Optimus from answering. "It was humans. Without a doubt. Now, whether they were working for Decpticons or not, I don't know."

A thought comes to Sam. "Wheelie? Brains?" Sam looks around for the two little Autobots.

"They're with First Aid," Ratchet assures Sam. "He's giving them a routine check up. They've... gone awhile without one anyway. Sam," Ratchet says quietly, "we were able to get something from their audio and visual feeds. We need you to take a look."

Sam hesitates, looking around nervously. This isn't what he was expecting his vacation to be like. This is... scary. Sam has had some weird run ins before, but no one has actually broken into his house with the intention to... well, at this point, Sam doesn't even know what it could possibly be. Sam doesn't have anything that they could want. The loft is Carly's, Bumblebee's never around to be stolen (not that he thinks anyone would be able to steal an Autobot like any random car) and other than his medal, there is really nothing of value that Sam has at his and Carly's place. Did...did they steal his medal? 'Cause that would be just cruel. Not many people have any idea what he went through to get that medal.

A small whine from Bumblebee pulls Sam's attention away from his thoughts. He smiles thinly up at his guardian before nodding to Optimus. "Okay, let's go."

Optimus falters for a moment, eyes gazing down at Sam almost as if he's trying to see something that's not quite there. Ultimately he nods and turns to face a relatively open wall and projects the image onto the wall.

Blackness. I hold my breath and count to three before static ripples across the screen.

"Hey, Wheelie," Brains whispers. "Open your optics! Someone's here."

Wheelie opens his eyes and looks around. "What do ya mean-?"

"Sh!" Brains hisses, electic blue hair waving wildly in his attempt to quiet Wheelie. They both grow fall silent and Wheelie and Brains slowly make their way up to the top of Carly and Sam's movie case, that reaches just over 6 feet tall. They hide in the darkness as the lock begins to rattle again.

"Is Carly s'ppose to be home soon?" Wheelie asks.

"Not this early," Brains says slowly, glaring at the door from their perch.

The door finally clicks and it opens slowly, almost silently. But Brains and Wheelie saw and heard it. A figure enters the room slowly, keeping as quite as humanly possible. But they were humans and can't outmatch Autobots in senses. Three men shrouded in black sneak into the room slowly, the last one closes the door softly. The sneak through the loft, one goes up the stairs to Carly and Sam's bedroom, one goes toward the kitchen and the last goes out into the padeo and checks the living room. Wheelie and Brains both scoot to the back to hide.

"Clear!" The one upstairs calls.

"Clear!" The one from the kitchen and the back side of the loft.

"No one's here," the last one says.

The three gather together in the living room, looking around as if suddenly feeling misplaced. Wheelie inches forward to look at them in the dim moonlight. They are all decked out in black with body armor and in their hands-guns.

Sam shivers, uncomfortably. What would of happened if Sam was in the house that day? What if Carly was? What would Sam do if these strangers took Carly, Wheelie and Brains captive? The thought makes Sam uneasy.

"What do we do now? Intel really dropped the ball on this one? Subject Witwicky isn't here. I thought they said that he was suppose to be here." One of them says, holstering his weapon.

The other two shift into a relaxed state, not concerned whether they are being watched or not. Wheelie and Brains both share a look and Wheelie inches just a little bit closer.

"Golslin is going to be so pissed," another says, shaking his head.

"Nothing we can do about it now," the final one says. "Search the place, find out where he's at."

The next few minutes consist of them ransacking the house, searching for any sign of where Sam could have possibly gone.

They don't destroy the house, no tables are over turned or papers strewn about, but if Sam had really looked around, he would have known that the house was was tampered with. Well, if Brians and Wheelie weren't living there 24/7.

Eventually they conclude that Sam isn't going to be coming back right away, so they head back out the way they came and the projection goes black. Optimus turns back to stare quietly at the troubled human as he slowly tries to digest what he just saw. All the Autobots stare down pensively at Sam.

The young hero turns away from the Autobots and walks around slowly, trying to wrap his mind around what he just saw. So this is what Arcee meant when she told him to wait for Optimus. This... this can't be happening. Not again. Who could these people be? What do they want? What do they want from Sam? Why guns? Did they want to kill him? Why? Clearly they didn't do their homework, Sam hasn't been in the loft for like three or four days. Understandably, Sam leaving to go stay with the Autobots was last minute.

It was a mere moment of opportunity. Sam had the chance to get out of his mundane life and go spice it up a little, and he took it. They would have had a whole other meaning if he had stayed at home. And that scares Sam to no end.

"I... I need some time to digest this..." Sam finally murmurs. He turns to look at Optimus and the rest of the Autobots, plus Will and Robert, opening his mouth to somehow justify or at least assure them that he was okay, but when a tiny unintelligible noise came out, he shakes his head and backs up slowly.

"Sam," Will calls, jogging over to the stunned boy. He grabs him by the shoulder and blue eyes lock with wide brown. "Sam, we will protect you, we will look out for you. They aren't going to get you here. They can't get you here."

"That's right, Witwicky," Robert says. "You got all of NEST ready to protect you."

"And the Autobots," Optimus says firmly. "We will do all we can to look out for you, Sam."

Sam looks around at each of the worried and determined faces. Sam can tell from their faces alone that they will do everything and anything to protect him. Sam's heart warms at the intention alone. These are the people that make Sam get up every morning. Being able to just... experience the wonders each and every one of these people make all of this worth it. Even though Sam doesn't know what's going to happen next, with friends like this, it will somehow be okay.

"Okay," Sam rasps, smiling weakly. "I believe you. Thanks guys." He looks away for a moment before looking back at his guardian. "How does a late night drive sound?"

Bumblebee blinks before nodding. "I would... love to!"

"Good," Sam says more to himself, backing out of Will's hands. "Okay, good. Let's go."

Bumblebee shoots a look back at Optimus, who nods slowly, before the two depart. They are gone for a few minutes when Arcee finally turns to look at Optimus.

"I've never seen him react like that. He always seemed so... in control, even when he probably didn't feel it."

Optimus's optics flicker down for a moment before looking back up at the entrance that Sam and Bumblebee disappeared through. No one can pretend that they don't see the worry on his face, or the flicker of something in Optimus's blue optics that only Ratchet catches, but doesn't bring up in front of the group. But he does make a mental note to speak to their esteemed leader about it at a later date.

Sam sits on Bumblebee's hood, looking up at the stars, trying to keep his mind as blank as possible. But, alas, whoever is looking over him, would not have that as so. Sam's mind keeps running all kinds of questions through his head. Over and over. The same questions but nothing new comes. No guess or even the slightest inkling as to what they could want or to who they even are.

Bumblebee must sense his need for silence, because the radio stays silence, allowing Sam to think, undisturbed.

Sam's brain is declared fried an hour into the silence and the boy quietly asks Bumblebee to take him home. Carly is waiting for him when he walks into the room. Her mouth opens, about to say or ask something but she notices how pale he looks and immediately goes to his side, asking what was wrong. Sam takes a moment to collect his thoughts before telling Carly everything. What they were able to extract from Wheelie's visual and Audio banks and his own thoughts and fears.

Sam didn't cry. Not that night. No, he stayed calm and riddled off the facts, but not even Carly could sense the storm of worry and fear raging beneath the surface. Not even she could comprehend how this news truly affected Sam. Not even Sam could be completely sure. After Sam finished telling Carly, he changed into pajamas and goes straight to bed. Carly follows suit not long after.

Sam is safe. He knows he is surrounded by those that are important to him. Those that he is willing to risk his life to protect and those he knows will do the same. Sam has yet to open his eyes, but just like before, he is aware. He, once again, can feel the sparks of all the Autobots. He can even feel the smaller sparks of both Brains and Wheelie, near First Aid. All solemn and beautiful in there own right.

And it's peaceful. Sam didn't know how much he craved this peace until it was suddenly stripped away from him just hours before. Whatever it is that has him in this peaceful spell... well, Sam wasn't going to argue it. Sam can feel the stress that has built up in his heart literally being leaked out into this calming, empty whiteness. Once again, even with his eyes closed, Sam knows that the white, gray and black swirls surround him. Once again, they are all different sizes and end up disappearing in a small plum of smoke.

Sam feels his orientation shift until he realizes that he's standing. His eyes open for him, finally allowing him to see the swirls in this strangely, otherwise, empty world. A tablet, old and weathered, like it's endured the harshest of Earth's climate shifts. Rain, snow and sunshine. Bitter cold and broiling hot. The flat surface facing Sam looks smooth, while the rest is jagged and discolored, in different stages of wear and tare.

Sam reaches out and touches the surface of the tablet, it towering over his head by a good ten to twenty feet, to find that it is in fact very smooth. Like a sanded stone.

The young hero jerks his hand back when something is slowly carved into the otherwise smooth stone, at Sam's eye level. Strange Cybertronian symbols that remind Sam of the ones that used to fill his head after he had touched a piece of the All Spark. Although, none of them look like the ones that he peppered his wall in his dorm room trying to get them out of his head.

The images of the symbols seem to imprint in Sam's brain, being written over and over and over again on the tablet until it reaches the bottom and it chances for the last line. It's short, only three symbols, and it's only written out once. Sam's finger traces out the Cybertronian multiple times, committing it to memory before pulling away and the world shatters like fine china against a hardwood floor, leaving only the tablet remaining.

And after a few moments, it too disappears into a fine powder, only to be carried away by an invisible breeze.

Sam opens his eyes to see he's in bed, Carly is breathing evenly next to him. Sam slowly sits up to look at the clock, it's almost nine in the morning. He can hear the day starting outside. NEST personnel running drills, motor vehicles driving by, the likes. Sam kisses the top of Carly's head, careful not to jar her awake and tentatively climbs out of bed, throwing on sneakers, jean shorts and a tee-shirt, making a mental note that neither Brains or Wheelie is there, before heading out the front door, wallet and phone in his pocket, careful not to wake his sleeping girlfriend.

Bumblebee isn't outside his door waiting for him, so Sam makes his way to the Autobot hanger, running the symbols through his head over and over again, trying to make sure he doesn't forget one. He needs to see if Bumblebee or any one else can read it. It could be ancient Cybertronian that they needed someone like Jetfire to read, which Sam was praying against.

Sam steadily jogs to the Autobot hanger and lets out a sigh of relief when he sees First Aid talking quietly with a soldier. Sam makes his way over to the timid Autobot, careful not startle him, or interrupt their conversation. Impatiently tapping his hand against his leg, he tries to make it seem like he has all the time in the world, but he's trying desperately to cling to the last bits of dream. Something deep in his gut told him he needs to know what those symbols in his dream meant. Just like when he absorbed the power of the All Spark. It was trying to tell him something. And it could somehow be related to what is going on with those strange people looking for him.

Anxiously, when after two minutes of neither First Aid or the soldier noticed his presence, Sam quickly runs to grab a piece of paper, and a sharpie, biting the cap off with his teeth. Completely disregarding the fact that the typed up information on the front my be important, Sam began to scribble down all the symbols, including the last few, that was only said once.

Looking over it once, twice, three times to make sure that it was all right, he turns to First Aid and interrupts, "What does this say?"

Startled by the sound of Sam's voice, First Aid looks down at him with a small jump. "Pardon?"

"This!" Sam waves the paper around frantically. "What does this say?"

Kneeling slowly, First Aid looks at the scribbled symbols, blue optics widening as he makes a strange noise of surprise. "That's Cybertronian, Sam. Where did you see this?"

Sam shakes his head madly, now. His stomach twisting into knots. "Tell me, First Aid! What does it say?" Sam can hear the desperation in his voice and it's enough to make him cringe, but not enough to stop him from demanding, "First Aid, tell me."

The Autobot shifts uncomfortably, blue optics squeezing shut for a moment, as if trying to find the words. After a moment, he tentatively says, "It... it reads, 'Nothing is merely... coincidence. Everything has a purpose'." He opens his optics and looks shaken. "And... it says... 'The time has come for the Return'."

"'Return'?" Sam repeats, finally lowering the paper. "What's that?"

First Aid unsteadily climbs to his feet, looking around like a wounded animal, frightened and scared. "It... It is... depicted by the... um,... ancient Primes, that-that once day Unicron will return to Cybertron and obliterate what Primus has created."


	6. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Oh my gosh, thank you so much for all who reviewed! You totally inspired me to keep writing and I totally appreciate it. Sorry for the wait! Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count:4,440
> 
> "At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time." ~Friedrich Nietzsche

"Is this Unicron guy going to come and destroy Cybertron? I mean, because Cybertron is kinda floating in Earth's atmosphere at the present moment. He's not just gonna float in and be all like, 'oh Cybertron's a little preoccupied, I'll just come back in another couple trillion years' is he?" Sam asks, a nervous laugh following. It's official, Sam's nerves are shot.

First Aid trembles. "I-I-I wouldn't know. Th-there have been other... interpretations but... I don't think that's going to be the case..." First Aid visibly droops as if defeated.

"Oh, nuh uh. Don't do this now, Aid," the soldier walks around, tapping the red and white Autobot on the foot. "We need to go speak to Optimus, right? I mean, he's a Prime. He can probably more accurately depict it, right, First Aid?"

Sam didn't think it was possible, but First Aid's paint seems to literally drain of it's brightness right before his very eyes. "Yeah," he says shakily. "O-O-O-Optimus... he could know with mo-more certainty."

Sam didn't like the lack of 'certainty' in First Aid's voice. Reguardless, he quietly asks, "Where is Optimus?"

First Aid gets a thousand mile stare at he checks the schedule that Sam has no doubt Prowl organized. "H-He has free time until Mearing arrives at noon."

"Shit," Sam curses under his breath. He completely forgot about Mearing coming in today. Great, it just keeps piling on. Perfect. Wait."Isn't Mearing suppose to be here in like a week?" To this, First Aid shrugs. "Awesome. Can you locate Optimus through comm link?"

First Aid nods, putting a trembling hand to his helm. "O-Optimus... I need you to come to the hanger... Sam needs to show you something..." he pauses, optics closing. "No... I don't... p-please come soon. I'm not sure how...how to handle it. Yes, Optimus..." He drops his hand and opens his optics. "He's... on his way..."

Sam feels immediate pity for asking First Aid to decipher. Clearly the poor Autobot wasn't the most stable. Sam looks up at First Aid with a mix of sympathy and sadness.

"I'm sorry, First Aid," Sam says softly. "I didn't know this would upset you."

Flinching as if burned, First Aid steps back, causing him to nearly step on some passing soldiers. They call up to him to watch where he's going to which he frantically apologized. Sam and the soldier next him, Jacobs, try to calm First Aid down. High energon pressure isn't good for the circuits and wiring-or so Ratchet had once informed Sam.

First Aid shakes his head slowly. "No, it's okay..."

Sam takes a moment to make sure the Autobot isn't going to freak out before asking quietly, "Are you okay? Really, I didn't mean..." Sam shuffles, shame blossoming in his chest. He knew the First Aid was jittery by nature, he should have asked someone else. It wasn't far to put so much strain on the poor Autobot. "I'm really sorry, First Aid."

The red and white Autobot shook his head. "No... no I'm okay."

"First Aid," Optimus's deep baritone voice fills the room as the Autobot leader makes his way over to them. "What's wrong? Sam, are you okay?" Mutely, Sam holds up the paper for Optimus to inspect. The leader kneels down and leans close to get a good look at the piece of paper. After a moment, bright blue optics flicker to Sam's face. "Sam, where did you get this?"

"It was in a dream. There was some sort of stone tablet and when I touched it, these appeared. The... the part about nothing being coincidence was repeated like a hundred times while the last part... that was only said once." Sam has to force himself to look into Optimus's optics. Sam feels like he's the one that has ripped apart this fragile peace that has blanketed the world since Chicago and the fall of Sentinel Prime.

"'A dream'?" Optimus repeats. "Something gifted from the All Spark?"

Sam falters slightly. "Well, I guess. I wouldn't really know. I mean, I woke up this morning and just like when I got the message about the Matrix, the symbols wouldn't leave my head until I put them somewhere else. Other than that, it's not the same as before. Now, is there no chance that's the All Spark-no. I can't say that for sure but... well, I just don't know." He curses himself for rambling.

Optimus is quiet for a long couple of minutes, just studying Sam with keen blue orbs. Sam shifts uncomfortably under the penetrating gaze of the Autobot leader, but instead of asking what he really wanted to ask, Optimus opts for asking, "Have you been having other strange occurences or dreams?" Sam's shifting gaze gives Optimus the answer he was afraid he was going to get. Sighing tiredly, Optimus rises back to his full height and presses his hand to his face, to clear his mind.

"Optimus," Sam asks quietly, "are you worried about that Return thing? First Aid told us about this Unicron guy coming to destroy what Primus created."

That surprises Optimus. He looks at First Aid, "That is a very old belief, First Aid. Why do you think that?"

First Aid looks hesitant. "M...My sparkmate once told m-me about it..."

Recognition passes over Optimus's face. "Ahh, Skydiver." First Aid looks sad at the mention of his sparkmate.

Optimus takes a moment to collect his thoughts before finally explaining, "The Return isn't something to be concerned about. While it has been depicted that someday Unicron will return to destroy Cybertron and everything else that Primus has created, the return that this is referring to isn't Unicron, but Primus himself. During the war on Cybertron it is said that the influence of Primus all but dissipated because of the lack of stability on Cybertron. From what I understand once the stability is maintained, Primus will return to us."

First Aid looks surprised by this information. "Primus? Really? He... he will return to us?"

Optimus nods slowly. "Unfortunately it is only in spirit. The good or ill graces of Primus will return to the Cybertronian people. We've gone a long time without it. I just hope he's not displeased with the lack of teaching in the younger generation." He smiles fondly at First Aid, giving Sam and Jacobs the impression that the red and white Autobot may be one of those of the 'younger generation'.

A wave of relief washes over Sam at the prospect of this not being a world shattering event. It's just Primus spiritually returning to the Autobot and the Decepticons. An unimaginably heavy weight lifts off of Sam's shoulders. He could fight Megatron. He could fight Sentenal. He could even fight other humans. He could not fight-well whatever this Unicron guy is. At least, he didn't think so. From what Sam understands; this Unicron guy likes to go around destroying planets. Which isn't cool in the slightest.

"So who is this Unicron guy?" Jacobs asks, reading Sam's mind.

"Alpha and Omega. The Beginning and the End," Optimus says. "Primus is the creator and protector of life, whereas Unicron is the destroyer and devourer of life." He pauses, considering something. "It's like your God and Satan. Very similar. I still have no reason to believe that this has anything to do with Unicron, so I wouldn't concern yourself with Unicron. He's supposedly been sailing through the far reaches of the cosmos searching for something deep in dark spaces."

Sam shakes his head. "That is so weird. A planet from so far away is so much like us."

Optimus nods. "It's very liberating, isn't it. But, on a different note, Sam, I would feel a lot better if you would go and see Ratchet about these dreams," he says softly, looking down at Sam.

Sam nods slowly. "Yeah, okay. But really, I'm fine. All it is is dreams. Humans get them all the time." Sam smiles, trying to write this off as nothing, because other than the dreams, nothing weird is happening with Sam. But he does smile up at Optimus, trying to convey how much the concern means to him. "But, a visit to see Ratchet wouldn't be completely out of the question."

Optimus looks pleased. "Good, thank you, Sam."

"And you're sure that this isn't something to panic over?" Sam clarifies, one last time.

Optimus nods. "I cannot say with a hundred percent certainty but I am at least 94% sure that the cataclysmic event you fear is not on the horizon."

Sam nods, backing up slowly while smiling up at the Autobot leader. "Oh and thanks for letting me know that Mearing was in town." He looks up expectantly.

"We were going to notify you once you awoke, but Bumblebee had to fill in Wheeljack on patrol early in the morning and didn't get a chance to tell you," Optimus quietly amends. "Forgive us."

"Don't worry," Sam waves him off. "I'm just giving you a hard time. Now that I know the world isn't ending. I can deal with our illustrious Charlotte Mearing. I was just clearing that up." He waves his hands, feeling better about the world not about to be destroyed. "Later, guys!"

Ratchet gives Sam a bill of good health, but still prescribes him some medicine to help him sleep at night with a warning of "only if you need it" before sending him away. Sam heads home immediately after, enjoying the slight chill of the cooling air. Winter is on it's way and the world is starting to cool down. Carly greets Sam right as he gets home.

"How are you doing? Are you okay?" she asks. Wheelie and Brains both hop onto the bed next to Sam when he lowers himself onto it.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just had a nightmare last night and needed to talk to Optimus about it. It's all better now," he says, smiling to his girlfriend, which immediately drops when he notices the look on her face.

"Why didn't you talk to me about it?" Carly asks, blue eyes narrow.

"What?" Sam says, eyes wide. " Oh, well, it was about... it um..." he waves his hands around trying to find the words as Carly stares after him suspiciously. Finally he sighs after a straight minute of incomplete sentences that get him no closer to being back in Carly's good graces. "Look, it was probably a message from the All Spark in my head. It had Cybertronian symbols and I needed someone to decipher it. And in all of the amazing things that make you up," Sam says sweetly, grabbing Carly's hands when he sees her fighting a smile, "like me, reading alien languages isn't one of them."

Carly shrugs a single shoulder. "I know, but still, I just don't like all the secrets." Her blue eyes flicker up to his.

Boom.

The word hits Sam harder than he expected it to. Secrets. Just like the one where Sam has yet to tell Carly about being a liaison for the Autobots to the American people. Well, government, but still.

Damn, why did Mearing have to come in today. At noon!

"Carly, there is something else I got to talk to you about..." Sam trails off, bracing himself for her reaction.

"What is it?" Carly asks.

Wheelie cracks his neck as he says, "Yeah, Sam ya gotta hurry up so yous can prepare for ya meeting with that bitch woman."

"Oh yes," Brains says, "she's mighty unpleasant isn't she?"

"Bitch, Brains, she's a bitch," Wheelie says.

Carly raises a delicate eyebrow. "'Meeting'? What kind of meeting is that? And who is this unpleasant woman?"

"Charlotte Mearing," Wheelie says, rolling his eyes as he jumps off the bed. "You kno', about Sam becomin' the Liaison to the Autobots." He turns to look at the shock on Carly's face. "Unless yous don't know yet, in that case... surprise!"

Sam drops his head into his hands and let's out a long sigh. Like this was just what he needed, more drama. "Wheelie, Brains, could you give us a minute?"

Brains jumps off the bed and slaps Wheelie on the back of his head. They glare at each other until Wheelie finally says, "Uh, sorr' Sam. Didn't know it was a secret. Bumblebee was just a little excited and didn' mention that..."

"It wasn't a secret," Sam mumbles, really starting to hate that word. "I just hadn't gotten around to telling Carly yet. Now, could you please?" He pulls his hands away from his face to wave to the door. Both of the little Autobots nod and leave, closing it behind them.

"What?" Carly snarls with enough poison to down a Decepticon. "What happened to 'it's just a short visit, Carly' and 'don't worry, it's just to clear my head, Carly'. What happened to that, Sam?" Sam flinches at the sight of Carly angerly climbing to her feet to glare down at Sam. "You swore to me that you would be done with this!"

Sam climbs to his feet. "Carly," he says with restrained anger, "I was never going to be 'done' with this." he waves to the area around him. "The Autobots are my friends! I don't understand why you have such a problem with them!"

"I don't have a problem with them!" Carly shouts, blue eyes narrowed. "I just hate being put second to them all the time!"

"That's not true!" Sam says exasperatedly. "In Chicago, no one came before you! I was almost forced to sell them out! You weren't second in that at all." Sam stares at her intently. "I can't believe that you saw that as 'being put second' but you weren't. And the Autobots did a lot to help save you too. Ironhide..." Sam looks away for a moment. "Ironhide almost died completely that day. He was so close, just breaths away..." he shakes his head to try and disperse the memory of the black Autobot, beaten and bruised, the glow fading from his chest.

"I know what they did for me," Carly says softly. "I appreciate everything, I do. It's just... sometimes it's just hard. I'm sorry, but it is."

Sam runs a hand through his loose curls, looking at Carly with hard eyes. "I know that it sometimes feels like they are the center of my universe and believe me, sometimes I feel the same way, but I do have a connection to the Autobots. Not only are they my friends, but in my head I have the information accumulated by the All Spark," he taps his temple, "and that's never going to go away. And now, there's people after me? With the Autobots is the safest we can be."

Carly opens her mouth, about to protest when she finally sighs, shoulders slumping. "Okay."

Sam watches her for a long time before turning away and heading to the bathroom. "I need to shower, okay? I have a meeting with Mearing in a couple of hours, after she talks with Optimus. I'll be out in a bit."

"Okay," Carly says softly and Sam feels a stab of regret in his chest, but he ignores it and closes the door behind him.

Sam and Charlotte sit across from each other in a conference room. Mearing going on and on about the importance of discretion and loyalty to the United States. Sam gives off the appearance of being alert and attentive, but in his mind, his thoughts are whirling. All he can think about is Carly and those guys that broke into his house, and his strange dreams. All of this is preoccupying his brain from "be loyal to your country" and "always be weary of national security" all the stuff that Sam knows very well.

Mearing pins Sam with a level gaze. "This isn't a game, Witwicky, you do understand this, right?"

"Really? I thought the President was joking when he personally asked me to do this job," Sam rolls his eyes sarcastically. "I've known the Autobots longer than you and my loyalty is to my country, okay?"

"No," Charlotte says bluntly. "I've seen how well you follow orders-"

"And I'm sure you told the President and yet he still asked it of me, did he not?" Sam interrupts, eyebrow raised. He narrows his eyes and stares at her hard. "The Autobots have never done anything against humanity and have done more than their fair share of help especially when we didn't deserve it." Sam's voice comes out strong and level to which he's glad. He doesn't know how many times he's going to have to say this before it starts to sink in.

The Autobots aren't evil!

They aren't malicious!

They aren't bad!

The sooner people get that through their thick heads, the better. That's going to be the first thing that Sam is going to change. He will preach till his face is blue so long as everyone believes him. He just wishes everyone would trust them like he does. The world would be a much better place that way-especially with Optimus calling the shots. That guy doesn't have a malicious bone-er circuit- in his body.

Mearing takes a moment to seize him up in her eyes, Sam holds her gaze steadily, ready to defend the Autobots once again if she opens her snide mouth about them when she nods and holds out some paper work and shows him what to fill out where for the logistics stuff, then she explains his actual job; making accommodations for the Autobots, detailed reports on new arrivals, future plans, their needs, so on and so forth. Nothing too complex, just a lot of paperwork mostly and keeping everything in order. While organization wasn't his strong suit, maybe Carly could give him some tips.

One second thought, maybe he should give Carly some time to cool down and ask Maggie instead.

"You will get regular emails and reports from D.C and may be called away at any moment for surprise meetings. This isn't play time and this is a 24 hour job. You need to be quick and efficient and if you screw up, your career will be compromised, do you understand?" Charlotte stares down a pointed nose at Sam.

Sam nods. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now, know that I will be randomly checking in on you. Other times, I'll have spies. Live in fear," she snaps, moving to her feet and heading to the door, he assistant/slave following at her heels carrying a dozen bags.

"You know who else lived by that mantra?" Sam mutters. "Satan."

"What was that, Mr. Witwicky?"

"Nothing."

Sam sits in the conference room in silence. The edge of his blunt nails thumping against the smooth wooden desk. Sam isn't sure how long he's in there when he feels someone tap his shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts.

Will sits down next to him and smiles lightly. "How was the meeting?" he asks, glancing down at the papers for a moment before looking back up at Sam.

"Fine," Sam says, shrugging. "How long has she been gone?"

Will shrugs this time. "Twenty minutes maybe."

Sam sighs, stretching. "That woman... she is just not okay, you know what I mean?"

Will nods. "Yeah, Mr. Galloway was the same. You'll be good for the Autobots, Sam. At least you understand them and give a damn what happens to them as people. Neither Galloway or Mearing can say that."

"I know," Sam rubs his face tiredly. "She already threatening to watch me 24\7 and has already questioned my ability to be loyal to my country."

"No!" Will gasps, blue eyes wide.

Sam nods. "Yeah, she's worried I'll be hiding evil plans of the Autobots from the United States government." He rolls his eyes. "It makes me sick."

Will shakes his head. "Why is everyone from the government an asshole?"

Sam laughs lightly at that. "Good question." Sam is quiet for a long time, the two enjoying the silence for a few minutes before Sam says, "I told Carly. About the job, and that I was going to take it or have already taken it, I guess. She... uh, she wasn't very happy with me."

A sympathetic looks appears in Will's eyes. "Really? I'm sorry to hear that. Did you guys talk about it? Come to some sort of solution?"

Sam shrugs at this not really knowing how to respond. Yeah, they talked about it but did they really come to a solution? Well, no, Sam just stated a fact that Carly couldn't deny, though he's sure she'll bring it up again some time soon. Lately, it seems all that Sam and Carly do is fight, at this point all Sam can do is hope and pray that this rough patch in their relationship passes.

"We reached a point in the argument where we have no more ammunition to fire off at each other for the moment." Sam shrugs as if trying to convince Will and himself that their fighting is no big deal. Sam doesn't need to look into Will's eyes to see the concern there. Carly hasn't even been on base for a full twelve hours and yet the fighting has already started, and it's about dumb things that mean nothing in the long run. Sam doesn't need to look into Will's eyes to learn what he already knows; this isn't right.

"Well, anyway," Sam changes the subject, climbing to his feet. "I'm starving, how about you?"

Will follows his lead. "A late lunch will be good. I need to do afternoon drills in a half hour, so we got to hussel."

Sam nods, gathering up all his paperwork. "Okay, let's go."

"Can I ask you some questions, Bee?" Sam asks, while Bumblebee drives them through the city to check on energon detectors that went off inside.

"Yes," Bumblebee says over the radio.

Sam pulls out his pencil and paperwork entitled: Bumblebee. "Okay, I just need to get as much documentation on you guys for the file, is that cool?" Bee makes a noise of affirmation. Sam reads off, "Designation: Bumblebee. Occupation: Scout and Guardian of Sam Witwicky. Allegiance: Autobots. Platform: Camero..." Sam pauses. I could fill out practically all of these. Oh, here's one that I wouldn't be able to fill out by myself; age?" Sam makes a face. "Who gives a damn how many years you've been alive? Oh, he's a million and five years old, currently, you know, not that it matters in the slightest." Sam rolls his eyes and Bumblebee makes noises of amusement. "This is dumb, the world is in the middle of a crisis, we need to make sure Bumblebee is of legal drinking age for humans!"

"Humans have... a very short life to live... and each... year... is a blessing... not so much for... us. Years... feel like moments, seconds. Time doesn't hold us... like it does... for you," Bumblebee says.

Sam laughs, "The line's not long enough to put all that down. How about, 'Bumblebee is sensitive about his age, like a woman over 23 is'. Oh, still too long? How about 'nonya damn business' or..." Sam sighs and writes down 'NA'. "Non-applicable," he tells Bee, to which the yellow Autobot makes a noise of approval. Once they find the energon detector, Bumblebee creates a holoform; a boy in his early 20's with big blue eyes and blond hair with black streaks. They remind Sam of his racing stripes. Sam waits on Bumblebee's hood while he checks out the detector.

After a few minutes, a man in a suit walks over to Bumblebee's holoform demanding to know what he is doing. Bumblebee stares at him for a moment before nodding over to Sam and his real body.

"Sir?" the man says to Sam, annoyed. "This is government property."

Sam nods. "We are aware. Bumblebee is here to fix it." Sam leans down and taps the Autobots symbol for the man to see.

He blinks rapidly and straightens up. "I.. I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

The radio crackles to life and the windows roll down. "It is alright, human, for everyone is able to make but one mistake in their life."

The man looks slightly freaked out by that and with a tense nod and a bid of a good day, he scurries off. After a couple of minutes of just watching Bumblebee tinker with the detecter, it sparks, making Bee jump and then tilt his head to one side. He tinkers around with it a bit more before closing the control panel, locking it again and heading to the passenger side of his alt mode. Sam quickly gets in and they head back to base.

"So... what was wrong with it?"

"Human power... blew fuse in the main powering system. Complete accident. Was... able to repair the damages."

Sam nods, leaning back into Bee's comfortable seats and relaxing. "So nothing to be worried about?"

"No," Bumblebee says in his own voice. "Everything will be okay."

Somehow, Sam just knew that Bee was no longer talking about blown energon detecter. And the thought alone made the young man smile and rub his hands affectionately over the steering wheel, remembering his dream, and how safe he felt inside of Bumblebee's alt form. How safe he felt around all the Autobots. So, he closed his eyes and let him mind fall blank, letting a small, "Good" fall from his lips as he let's himself relax and enjoy the quiet trip back to the Autobots base. And back to his friends.


	7. New Arrivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Sorry, it's a tad bit shorter than the last one, but it was a really good place to stop. I'm so happy for all the reviews, they make me so happy. I'm going to hopefully get the next chapter up ASAP! Thanks so much, enjoy! Review to let me know what you think so far! I love the speculation and comments! Until next time!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 4,120
> 
> "We are survival machines – robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This is a truth which still fills me with astonishment." ~ Richard Dawkins.

Back in the world of swirls and the calming, protective presence of the Autobots, Sam relaxes, feeling completely at home. Like he's laying in his own bed, relaxing the day away. This time, when Sam finally opens his eyes, he takes the time to appreciate the mysterious world around him only to realize that he's on a world or in a room or anything at all. He's in outer space. All the swirls, big and small, they are planets.

Sam's concept of planet life, trillions of years, is nothing by the galaxy's standards. Just like a human life next to an Autobot. Or a fly even. In the undetermined amount of time it takes for a planet to live it's life is represented by the swirls. Beautiful, majestic, and no two are exactly alike. But ultimately, the planet meets it's end, much like the swirl does- in a small minuscule plum of smoke that disappears in time.

The life of a human is nothing compared to that of a planet and even less compared to that of the galaxy itself, but even the longest living thing in the galaxy-which is the galaxy itself- with eventually be destroyed by one way or another. And in the Milky Way galaxy's case, that would be the Andromeda galaxy that will hit the Milky Way and end up destroying it. It and all the life that resides within it.

Life is just a means to an end. Sam knows immediately that it is the All Spark that offers up that information. Everything that starts must eventually stop.

The concept even applies to Newton's Law of Motion "An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force, while an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force". Eventually, that chunk of dead planet is going to hit something and when it does, it will either destroy or be destroyed as is the law of nature.

Sam's gaze is drawn to a glowing blue light off in the distance, so far it looks to be the size of the head of a battery. Curiosity draws Sam closer. And closer. Sam can feel the warm presence of the Autobots fading as he moves further and further away from them, yet something keeps drawing him to the light. He gets even closer until it's bigger than he is and still looks so far away. Multiple strange objects soar past Sam before he can get a good look at any of them, knocking him out of orientation, making his head spin and make him painfully aware of his body.

Sam's arms and legs hurt, his chest is tight and he feels like he hasn't breathed in over a minute but when he tries to inhale, it's like there is a pressure on his chest and doesn't allow his lungs to expand. It doesn't take Sam long to realize that he's not breathing. And it's not as simple as him just holding his breath or anything, it's like there is something that physically stopping his body from breathing in that much needed oxygen. Then he sees that his vision is blackening around the edges and it slowly crawls closer and closer to consuming his entire vision like a slow tap running, trying to fill a bowl, the water closing in as the bowl is filled.

If this continues, Sam will die.

Before Sam has time to panic, he opens his eyes and he's back in his room at the Autobot base, breathing heavily, his lungs burning. All of his muscles are tense and tired. Sam feels like he was tensed up all night and finally relaxed when he awake.

Sam trembles uncontrollably, a chill deep in his core. Sam has to curl up, which is so difficult with his muscles all sore and weak, and pull the covers over him. He can hear the shower running in the bathroom and it takes Sam far longer than he should to realize that it's Carly. It's been about a months since Carly and Sam's stay turned more permanent. They have had a lot of... discussions... about Sam's decision to stay with the Autobots but they always get to a point where one says something that ends in a stalemate for the moment.

The dreams started happening every single night about three or four days after Sam officially got his job as the liaison for the Autobots. Each morning that follows leads Sam to feel weak and tired, like he has been tossing and turning the entire night. Today was, by far, the worst. Sam literally feels like his body ran a marathon while he was sleeping.

And another thing, that strange blue light off in the distance... what was that? Sam took about twenty seconds to memorize his entire astrology book because of the All Spark but there was nothing in it that would be able to even someone allude to what it could possibly be. If the stars were represented by the spirals, then that bright light couldn't of been a start-could it?

Sam could feel the beginnings of a head ache coming on and had to physically force his eyes to close and to clear his racing brain. It hurts to think. It hurts to move. It hurts to think about moving. How is that even possible?

Eventually, Sam's body relaxes slightly and he starts to drift back into dream land. After what only feels like seconds, Sam is half concious when he hears Carly get out of the shower before he tips over the edge and is sleep again. Though, thankfully, Sam doesn't dream.

It was about three o'clock in the afternoon and Sam was in his office, formally Galloway and Mearings for the short amount of time both of them took this position, when he hears a knock at the door. Sam pauses in his monthly report to Mearing, per her request, an any new details about the movements of Autobots, Decpeticons and NEST forces.

"Come in!" Sam calls, going back to his report. Sam has reread and retyped the entire thing like a million times trying to fit into Mearing's specifications for an appropriate formal letter, or in this case, detailed report. How is he suppose to sum up, "Nothing new" into three paragraphs, plus an opening and closing. It's like a formal essay, except Mearing will rip him apart if it's a piece of shit. The All Spark can't help him figure out this rocket science.

"Sam."

Sam looks up and smiles, surprised to see Optimus's holoform standing in his doorway. "Hey, Optimus," Sam greets. "Come on in."

A faint smile crosses Optimus's human face as he nods, closing the door gently behind him and moving to sit in the seat placed in front of Sam. After a moment of Sam typing away, Optimus asks, "I happened to be walking by when I got readings of your blood pressure being abnormally high. I came to see if you were alright."

Sam laughs out loud at that, stopping his typing all together to give Optimus his full attention. "You want to know why that is? It's because Mearing is some kind of information Nazi that feels it's prudent to stick her nose into everyone else's business. And she will destroy me for practically anything! Like for instance, an Autobots age. Who the hell cares, right? Well, apparently Mearing. And this letter? About the non-moving Autobots, quiet Decpticons, and NEST personnel who are either on duty or off, not running to any specific place for any specific reason, but instead of saying that, I have to make it seem like I put two hours of my life into this. I'm currently on hour number three and have redone this like five times." Sam leans back in his chair to rub his face.

Optimus is quiet for a moment before asking, "Do you require any assistance?"

Sam jumps, grinning at the Autobot leader. "Yes please! I ask Bumblebee to help but I think he got war flashbacks 'cause he screamed and ran away."

Optimus laughs at that. "Of all of the amazing things that Bumblebee is capable of, the difficult and never ending battle against paperwork is one that he venomously refuses to see to it's end."

"I can't blame him," Sam mumbles, turning the computer to Optimus. "I have everything that I need, I just have to make sure that it's...'formal'" he says, putting formal in air quotes, "which I was never good at in school and the All Spark is no help."

Optimus access the internet and reads through multiple examples of formal essays and letters and begins to critique. Sam finally calms down once the letter is sent off to Mearing in the best possible form it can be in. If she wants to be pissy that he got help from Optimus to make it that good, then he can deal with that when it comes, for now, he can relax knowing that it's on it's way to her at last.

"Thanks for your help, Optimus," Sam says, loosening his tie. "I knew my drafts were steadily getting worse as I rewrote them but I was worried."

"No worries, Sam," Optimus waves off his thanks. "I'm glad I could help."

Sam takes off his tie and rolls his sleeves up, happy to not have to be so professional all the time. Work was done for now, and he could relax. He pauses for a moment, hoping that Mearing didn't have some pshycic powers, able to tell when he thought about slacking off. He shakes his head about how ridiculous that sounded.

"You were a big help. Thank you, again."

Optimus smiles affectionately. "Any time, Sam."

"Don't say that," Sam laughs, "I may take you up on that."

After a long moment, Optimus asks, "Where is Carly today?"

Sam cracks his fingers. "She went back to work today. I think she was getting a little stir crazy hanging around here and shopping all the time. I heard her in the shower in the morning before she went to work and she texted me at her break. She'll probably be back around seven or eight tonight."

Optimus nods. "Good, I'm glad she is adjusting. I noticed that there is a bit of tension between you and her. I hope that it has nothing to do with her being stuck here was us. I know Cybertronians aren't exactly her favorite people at the moment." Optimus looks away, shaking his head, probably thinking about Megatron and the rest of the Decepticons.

Actually, that is the problem, Sam thinks, but doesn't say that. No, he would never intentionally hurt Optimus or any of the Autobot's feelings just because Carly still doesn't know what to really do around them. She's fine with Wheelie and Brains, as fine as she's ever been with them, but that hasn't changed, it's just how she looks at all the others. Yeah, their bigger and they could do more damage, but it doesn't make them any more dangerous than Wheelie and Brains. If anything, the fact that Wheelie and Brains live with them should make the two small Autobots even more dangerous, but there is no way that Sam would tell Carly that. The last thing they need is for Carly to flip every time she sees the two little ex-Decepticons.

Instead of saying all that, Sam opts for asking, "So, anything new going on today, Optimus?"

Optimus opens his mouth to respond when he freezes, eyes adopting a far away look. Sam knows immediately that Optimus is either scanning something or is in contact with another Autobot. Sam's curiosity is cut short when Optimus says aloud, "Yes, I'm on my way." He looks at Sam steadily, blue eyes narrow. "Cybertronians have locked on to our signal and are heading this way. We have to go greet them, see if they are Autobots or Decpeticons."

"You don't know?" Sam asks, wearily.

Optimus shakes his human head, black hair brushing his shoulders. "Prowl can't get into radio contact, but that could mean anything."

"Like?" Sam asks.

"Like, communication malfunction, enemies waiting for an opportune moment to strike or the occupants are off lined inside. There are also plenty of other variables, but we have to be sure." Optimus stands from his seat, Sam following his lead. "A team of Autobots are assembling a greeting party."

"And NEST?"

"Lennox is preparing the base for a possible attack."

"Okay," Sam says. "I'm coming too."

Optimus looks hesitant. "It could be dangerous."

Sam gives Optimus a look, hands landing on his hips. "Really? Everything that I do since I got my first car has been dangerous to different degrees, yes?" Optimus nods, looking a little ashamed of that. "Besides, I'm safest with you guys anyway. Also, if it is Autobots, I'm responsible for being a representative on behalf of humanity to welcome them to the planet, right?"

Optimus nods, unable to deny Sam that. "Very well, but stay close to Bumblebee."

Sam salutes. "Yes, sir!"

The Autobot team consisted of Ironhide, Bumblebee, Prowl, Ratchet, Optimus, Arcee and Wheeljack. They transformed into their bipedal modes when they reached a wide open area outside of town and way from any widely populated roads.

"They should land here," Prowl says, gesturing around him. The Autobots nod and gather around, trying to kill a few minutes until the pods come into sight. Sam sticks close to Bumblebee while the Autobots discuss who it could be.

"It could be Delta-One," Arcee guess. "She hasn't been heard from in a while. She was originally sent near here, wasn't she?"

"Yeah," Prowl says, "but that was many years ago, she probably moved on."

Ironhide nods. "I agree with Prowl, it's been a long time since she was out here, if she was anywhere close, she would have probably been one of the first to respond. I bet it's Skydiver. He'll do anything for his ten seconds of fame."

"Poor First Aid, his sparkmate is such a blunder head." Arcee shakes her head sympathetically.

"I hope it's Bulkhead," Wheeljack says, eyes far away. "It's been a long time since I've seen my best friend." He looks up at the light blue sky, probably remembering the last time he saw Bulkhead, and smile faintly. "Man, he wasn't the sharpest of the Autobots, was he?"

Arce laughs at that. "He certainly wasn't. For his lack of processing power, he is one of the most loyal I have ever met, so it makes up for it." Bumblebee trills happily in agreement.

"Yeah, courage is good," Ratchet says, shaking his head, "but it doesn't do a bot any good to have lots of it and not enough process power to adequately use it. If Bulkhead does crash-land, let's just hope he doesn't hit his helm, poor thing cant take much more."

Optimus chuckles along side the other Autobots with that. "If it is an Autobot, I'm sure we will be happy with whoever it is."

"Optimus is right," Ironhide says, "the more, the merrier."

"What if it's Climber? She'll love the big buildings. It'll be a pain to keep her under control," Arcee says, looking around at the other Autobots, most of which, especially Ratchet, flinch at the mention of the faceless Autobot Climber. Sam can only smile at this.

"It's the end of the world as we know it, it's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine!" Bumblebee's radios play, causing the Autobots to flinch again. Sam laughs out loud at that.

"What's so bad about Climber?" He asks through his giggles. It's amusing to hear about something the Autobots are jokingly (maybe?) afraid of. Sam is pretty sure that whoever this Climber girl is, she's not that bad. Especially since, most female Cybertonians are smaller than the male. Even Jazz who was pretty small in comparison was probably a little bit taller than Arcee and her sisters, bless their fallen sparks.

Surprisingly, it's Optimus that answers Sam. "Climber is just a very energetic, young Autobot who... likes to push the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not. She is not bad by any means, but she is very young, even younger than Bumblebee so she is still trying to grow into her own. She was one of the last Sparklings to be born before the All Spark was sent away."

Sam's mouth forms an 'o'. "So, she's like a little sister?"

Optimus nods. "Precisely."

"Optimus, the pods are in sight," Prowl says, head tilted to the sky. A puff of clouds part as a pod soars through the sky coming right toward them. Bumblebee does the math and finds the trajectory of where these pods are going to land and immediately scoops Sam up from the ground and runs away to avoid the impact. Sam can hear the other Autobots scattering.

"Prowl, I didn't think you literally meant they would land here!" Ratchet snarls, barely making it away before the pod smashes into the ground, knocking the old medic off his feet and onto his stomach.

Sam had to cover his ears to stop his eardrums from exploding. Bumblebee turns his back to the crash, cradling Sam to his chest, protectively. Sam hears a couple of more crashes until it all falls deafly silent. After a moment or two, Sam removes his hands from his ears when he feels Bumblebee finally starting to turning around to face the newcomers.

All of the other Autobots slowly climb to their feet, trying to recover with some dignity. Ironhide, Wheelijack and Ratchet shoot Prowl dirty looks to which he waves them away like he couldn't be bothered while climbing to his feet. Optimus shakes dirt from his plates and approaches one of the pods, pulling out his weapons and aiming them at the steaming meteorite. The other Autobots follow Optimus's lead and arm themselves. Sam is placed in Ratchet's carefully cupped hands.

The pod Optimus and Bumblebee aim for pops open and Optimus barks, "I am Optimus Prime. What is your designation and allegiance?"

A robotic hand sticks out of the pod, which only makes Bumblebee charge his cannon when the other hand comes out and eventually an entire robot frame. Skinny without any armor on it. This is literally the most basic of Autobot frame. He-or she- could easily be destroyed without any armor on. It gives Sam the impression that in their most basic form, strip away the weapons and armor, and an Autobot can be killed as easily as a human. Sam can clearly see his spark.

The new bot holds up it's hands and makes a strange noise, before getting a far away look. After a split second, it speaks. "I am Cliffjumper, allegiance to the Autobots."

Both Optimus and Bumblebee lower their cannons at that. Ratchet lets out a sigh of relief.

"Cliffjumper," Optimus says, "how have you been?"

Cliffjumper stretches his joints, shaking out his frame. "Pretty good. Cramped inside that little pod for a long time now. Got your message, Optimus, headed here right away but we ran into some trouble on another planet and had to save Dustyrose's alt from some Decepticons."

"Hardy har, Cliffjumper," a smaller, definitely female Autobot came around the pod, her frame far small, about the size of Arcee. She stops and looks up at Optimus. "Dustyrose, allegiance to the Autobots."

Optimus nods in acknowledgement. "Welcome, Cliffjumper, Dustyrose."

Both of the Autobots tip their heads in achknowledgement to their leader, clicking words in the Autobot's language before finally saying in English, "Thank you, Optimus." Bumblebee and Optimus put their cannons away and along with Ratchet fall into a relaxed stance.

"Woah, is that Optimus's voice?" A bigger, far bulkier frame came around the same way that Dustyrose did, his blue eyes immediately brighten at the sight of Optimus. He makes his way over to the Autobot leader saying, "Optimus Prime! Thank Primus that-" he pauses at the curious look Optimus gives him. Glancing down at himself he realizes it's probably really hard to tell who he is. He makes a noise of embarrassment and points to his spark chamber. "Autobot. Bulkhead. I mean, I am an Autobot, but I'm more Bulkhead. I mean, I'm both but-"

"Easy, Bulkhead," Optimus says, waving him down. A look of affection on his face. "I remember you. How are you, friend?"

Bulkhead rubs the back of his head, laughing. "I'm doing pretty good. I think I hit my helm in the crash, though."

"Bulkhead!" Wheeljack rushes over to the larger framed, armorless Autobot and pulls him into a hug, while Ratchet rolls his blue eyes skyward mutter, "Oh brother."

"Jackie!" Bulkhead hugs him back and the two immediately launch into old war stories, further proving Bulkhead's identity.

Arcee rolls her eyes. "Of course, Wheeljack's friend would be among the new arrivals."

"Ouch, Arcee, what about me, partner?" Cliffjumper feigns hurt, turning his thin, unprotected frame to Arcee, a clear brightness in his eyes.

Arcee blinks a few times in confusion before a smile crosses her face. "Cliffjumper? Holy, Primus! How are you still alive?"

Cliffjumper laughs. "I'm not usually caught without my armor. You just happened to get me on an off day." He shrugs than makes a pleased noise when she laughs and shakes her head. Arcee slowly makes her way over to Cliffjumper and Sam's eye widen when Cliffjumper's exposed spark beings to glow brighter than before and a small thin line of what could only be energy, connects with Arcee's spark chamber. The breath physically leaves Sam's chest at the sight of the small thin line getting bigger and stronger as they draw closer to one another and it looks like their sparks are about to jump out of their chambers to fuse as one.

Sam blinks quickly when Arcee reaches out to touch Cliffjumper's spark chamber and the thread grows tremendously in size until it looks like a thick chain that connects the two of them together.

"They're sparkmates," Ratchet tells him quietly, watching the exchange with soft eyes, Sam can only guess he's remembering his own sparkmate.

"Is that what that thread is?" Sam asks quietly, mesmerized by the bright and brilliance of their sparks so close.

"What thread?" Ratchet asks, looking down at Sam.

Sam doesn't return his gaze, his brown eyes staring into the blue light. "The one that connects their sparks."

Ratchet doesn't respond. He's staring down at Sam with big eyes, brain racing at what this could possibly mean. His optics flicker up to Arcee and Cliffjumper, trying to see this 'thread' that Sam sees, but isn't able to. Ratchet can only rationalize it as having the knowledge of the All Spark within him. This is the first time Sam has come across Sparkmates together after all.

Looking down at the small human in his hand, Ratchet can see a light blue glow in his eyes, something that only Sam can see. Something that high powered energon can't gift to Ratchet. Something that isn't meant to be seen by eyes and optics alike. Something that only the All Spark would ever be able to see.

Somehow, for some strange, unexplainable reason, this gives Ratchet hope for the future of his people. If Sam can see the physical manifestation of the love his people have for each other, than maybe there is still a chance that his people can make it through this horrible ordeal. Maybe the Autobots can truly live on Earth amongst the humans. Maybe, just maybe, this is a sign from Primus. A sign to show them that they were not forsaken.

Or forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used:
> 
> 1\. It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine) by R.E.M


	8. Reap what you sow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Thank you all so much for your reviews, they really do motivate me. So sorry for the wait, please enjoy! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 4,232
> 
> "Longevity-and sanity. Eccentric old ladies on Harleys I can deal with." ~Alison Larkin

Sam watches the Autobots reacting to one another with a smile on his face. Being the reason why the Autobots will go extinct even now weighs heavily on his shoulder but seeing that beautiful glow between Arcee and Cliffjumper makes Sam believe that there is still a chance. Why would Primus reunite these two sparkmates if he didn't intent for them to live happily? Yeah, the threat of Decepticons are still out there, but finally, the Autobots can relax and begin imprinting this planet with their existence. You know, the Autobot footprint is big, but Sam doubts they can do more damage than humans.

Sam tilts his head up and looks for Cybertron in the sky. Well, half of Cybertron. There is still discussions on what exactly to do with it. Sam thinks they should get the Autobots up there and see what they can salvage. It's still their home world.

Bumblebee makes a whirling noise, catching Sam's attention. He looks to see Bee holding his hands out for Sam to climb onto. Bumblebee tilts his head slightly, as if to ask if everything was okay. Sam smiled and stepped onto the hand, reaching out to touch his vocalizer. "I'm okay, Bee."

Bumblebee nods slowly, effortlessly lifting Sam and bringing him closer to the three newcomer Autobots. After a moment or two longer, the present Autobots turn their attention to Optimus.

"Welcome, friends. It warms my spark to know that there is still a chance that our fellow Autobots are still out in the universe and are looking for a home. Well, my friends, we've found one," Optimus turns to Bumblebee. "Friends, as I'm sure most you already know Bumblebee," there are small murmurs of hello, to which Bumblebee makes a trill of happiness, "and in his hands is a native of this planet and a personal friend. Go ahead, Sam," Optimus says, blue optics dim and gentle.

Suddenly embarrassed by the attention, Sam straightens up, wishing that he would of kept his coat and tie on, and suddenly feeling silly for wanting to roll his sleeves back down. He settles for scratching the back of his head and smiling. "Well, it's really nice to meet all of you. Ha, sorry, I'm not so good at speeches, or talking really to anyone or anything in general." he laughs at that and is immediately thankful for his friends laughing lighting along side him. "But, um, as a native to this planet I would like to be the second to welcome you to Earth."

"Hey, thanks," Bulkhead says, then looks around confused when everyone else was silent. "Oh, were we suppose to be quiet?"

"Jeez Bulkhead," Dustyrose rolls her blue eyes. "Let the Earthling talk."

Sam laughs, somehow relieved. "No, it's okay. You're welcome, Bulkhead." Sam beams up at the large Autobot. "My name is Sam Witwicky. I'm the liaison between the humans and the Autobots. One of my responsibilities is to make sure new Autobots that come to the planet feel welcome and safe... and I had this big, huge speech planned out-which I can't exactly remember why I thought that was a good idea, knowing my own speech skills. But anyway," Sam pauses to chuckle lightly when Wheeljack lets out a "got that right!" before he continues, "I just wanted to say that I know it isn't easy. I can't say I know exactly what your going for because... well, I don't. I have a pretty good idea, but sometimes that's not enough. I can only begin to scratch the surface of how you feel, leaving your home can't be easy at all and there is nothing, and I mean nothing that can replace Cybertron in your sparks," Sam smiles when Bumblebee nuzzles against Sam in affection. Sam touches his vocalizer, thankful for having something other than the three new Autobot's eyes to look at. "I can understand that. But I wanted you guys to know, that I'm going to try to make this place the second best to Cybertron."

By the affectionate look in Bumblebee's eyes, Sam must have said something right, so he relaxes a little bit more.

Turning back to the three newcomers, he opens his mouth to speak when he sees the looks on their faces. Mixtures of happiness and understanding and maybe a little bit of hope. At that moment, Sam knows for sure that whatever he said that hit home, he is forever thankful he said it.

"I love all of these wonderful people around us," Sam hears himself saying, now speaking directly to Bulkhead, Cliffjumper and Dustyrose. "All of them so wonderful in so many ways I can't even begin to explain or even fully understand myself. And for once, and this is probably going to be the only time I will get to say this: Optimus was wrong. He said that they as Autobots were lucky to have found a habitable planet with people like those in NEST and others. But he's wrong. Earth isn't ours. It's our home, but we don't own it. We have no right to say whether or not you can live here. Anyway, we as humans are lucky to have met you Autobots. We may be humans, but out of the two, you are more humane. Autobots are what ideally we had planned for humanity but humans got in the way."

Sam laughs at that, shaking his head. He looks at Bumblebee. "Isn't that right, Bee?"

Bumblebee makes a humored noise, nodding his head, with a roll of the eyes.

"That you for coming to Earth Autobots, thank you for being our friends and for giving this young, naive race a chance. If you ever need me, for any reason, I'm here," Sam continues, looking at the newcomers. "It may not seem like anything now, but I'm sure you'll think of something some day and when you do, I'm here. Plus, I wouldn't mind hearing any stories about your lives. Trust me," Sam laughs again, finally fully relaxed, "I could recite some of Wheeljacks battles front and back. And with that, I am done talking. Optimus, whenever your ready, I'll call back to base and let Will know we got friendlies."

Optimus nods, admiration swelling in his spark chamber as he stares at the boy. He couldn't say it any better himself. Optimus turns his gaze to the three new Autobots, knowing that as all of the others before them, Sam will become an invaluable friend and ally. He can already see that he has made an impression of the three, but only time will tell exactly what that is.

"As Sam said, this is Earth, and we live here peacefully amongst the Earthlings. More specifically the Americans. This will be our new home for however long fate allows it. Be respectful to the humans, alright?" Optimus straightens his back and looks like the pinicle of strength and authority that walks hand in hand with the Primes throughout the ages.

The three new Autobots nod in understanding and respectful, "Yes, Optimus."

Sam grabs out his phone and calls up Will, who answers on the second ring. "Sam? What's up? Are they friendlies or more Decpticons?"

"Friendlies, call off the hounds."

"Yes, sir."

Sam shifts away from the Autobtos, feeling slightly weird that he's talking about them like they aren't right in front of him and they can't hear his conversation. "Yeah, so get the car models out onto the floor so they can pick their car forms."

"Okay," Will says. "Which ones?"

Sam blinks at the question. "What do you mean?"

Will is quiet for a moment. "Sam, only you can authorize the upgraded forms. The most basic vehicles we have are, frankly, pieces of shit, but they are still left on the line for all new Autobots. I just want to be sure what you wanted for them, because you're not a dick like their last two liaisons."

Anger boils within him. "What do you mean, Will?"

Will doesn't respond right away. "I'm sorry, Sam. I wish I had more say but I don't." Will's voice is soft. Too soft. He knows this is wrong. Knows it's unfair, but he also knows that as an underling, he has to obey.

"Will, what do you mean?" Sam seethes. "What are upgraded models for?"

Sam's newly clenched fists tremble in anger at Will's next words. "It's an award system, Sam. That's what dick politicians do. They have all the power and give you as little as possible."

Sam sees red and has to physically restrain himself from punching the nearest wall-which is Bee's chest. Sam takes a couple of minutes to calm himself down. There is no need to yell and scream at Will, he had no power in the situation. If anything, he wishes he could scream at Mearing and every other politicians that does that shit. That give themselves power by taking it away from others.

"Will, get all acceptable vehicles out onto the floor for the new Autobots. We'll be back in about a half hour."

"Yes, sir," Will says, and Sam can hear the smile in his voice which brings a tinge of pleasure to Sam's gut, but not enough to mend his newly sour mood. Sam ends the call and stuffs his phone into his pocket, angrily. He shakes his head, trying to push back all the dark thoughts of what piece of his mind he's going to give Mearing next chance he gets.

Sam shakes his head again and turns back to the group and blinks in confusion when he sees that all of the Autobots are staring at him. For some reason, the innocent looks in their eyes only serve to make Sam's blood boil more. Sam scowls, looking away, not sure how to convey to them that it's not them that he's mad at but, once again, humans. Humans have never cease to let Sam down, and this is just another black mark to the list. And he didn't even really start to notice how much they truly let him down until the Autobots and Decepticons arrived. Now everything other humans do piss him off.

"Sorry, guys. Just some issues that need to be sorted out. It's nothing. Ready to head out?" Sam asks, eyes still averted. He knows for sure Bumblebee would be able to read the anger in his eyes, and probably Optimus, Ratchet and Ironhide, but the others... Wheeljack, Arcee and these new Autobots. They don't know the extent of human cruelty, and Sam's going to do all in his power to ensure they don't for a long time.

"Yes," Optimus says, his voice soft. Knowing. And that makes Sam cringe but Optimus doesn't wait for Sam to say anything. "Autobots, let's head home."

The walk back to the Autobot base. All of the broiling anger in Sam finally cools down as he sits on Bumblebee's shoulder on their way back home. The Autobots get reaquainted with one another, it having been a very long time since most have seen each other. Sam over hears Bulkhead ask, "I've been looking all over this... uh, World Wide Web, and they have next to nothing on us. They believe that little part of Cybertron is... a "government experiment" and a "glitch in the universe". What-ever those are. Why don't they know anything about us?"

"Because the human government here in America didn't tell them or anyone else about us," Wheeljack tells him.

"Why?"

"That is something to ask Sam," Wheeljack says, looking over at the small human riding on Bumblebee's shoulder.

Bulkhead nods solemnly and scoots closer to the yellow Autobot and his human companion. "Uh, Sam, right?" Sam nods. "Um, I got a question." Sam nods again, waiting for the large Autobot to continue. "Why does your government not tell it's people about us?"

Sam considers. "Knowledge is power. That is an old human saying. By someone having the knowledge, they have the power it offers." Sam blinks at the strange look Bulkhead gives him so he tries again. "Humans are, by nature, unpredictable things. Some people, with knowledge of your existence would create relief efforts or make awareness to half of your planet being floating in our atmosphere, while on the other hand, some would try and sabotage your existence and use it for malicious purposes. The government is just trying to find the most adequate way to tell them about your existence, and keep in mind this includes the fact that your smalls is like ten stories tall and you have thick armor and can hack any kind of super computer in a matter of minutes, not to mention that you have magnitudes of weapons on your person at any given time. The government is just trying to protect the nation from itself and others."

Bulkhead considers it, but still looks a little confused. "But, why can't they be honest?"

Sam smiles lightly at the naivety of the new Autobot. "I wish it was as simple at merely telling the truth, but humans are mistrustful by nature and they feel that the less the general public knows, the better off they are. Look, humans can be the most kind and caring individuals that you have ever set optics upon, but while they can be capable of great acts of compassion, they are equally capable of great acts of cruelty as well. Humans are unpredictable. The news about your guys' existence has to be revealed delicately."

"If not done correctly, there could be horrible repercussions," Optimus says slowly, understanding in his voice and eyes. Sam nods, not entirely sure if he's pulling that from his own knowledge of life since coming to Earth or if he looked up instances on the internet, either way, it's true none-the-less. Sam nods solemnly at Optimus' words.

"You can't trust easily here on Earth. Not many Earthlings do things out of purity in their hearts. Just trust your instincts, if something doesn't seem right or someone's acting fishy, then get out of there and get yourself out of the situation," Sam says sagely.

"What about you?" Dustyrose asks, twisting her neck around to see Sam over her shoulder. "Are you one of these Earthlings? One of them that do things out of the purity in his heart?" She asks skeptically, blue eyes hard, something in her voice that gives Sam the impression that she's trying to get something from him.

Before Sam can respond, he feels a rumble from Bumblebee and a threatening noise from his vocalizer. The two stare at each other for a long moment before Dustyrose makes a few clicking noises to which Bee responds almost immediately. From the terseness in the sound, Sam can only guess it was a low blow. If Dustyrose's flinch a moment later is any indication of that.

"Settle down, you two," Optimus says warningly, glaring back at the two of them. "Dustyrose, remember that we are merely guest on this planet, it isn't polite to question our liaison to the United States government."

"No," Sam says quickly, before Dustyrose can apologize, begrudgingly, by the look on her face. "It is a legitament question. The answer to that is no. I'm not doing this job out of some purity in my heart." Clearly that wasn't the answer she was expecting, because Dustyrose stopped and turned toward Bumblebee and Sam, the former also stopping and tilting his head slightly to look at Sam. "I'm doing it because I miss my best friend," Bumblebee trills happily at that, "and I miss all the other Autobots. I miss being able to say that I'm doing something that really matters, and I know it's a little selfish, but I miss being able to be part of the team." Sam grins sheepishly at that. "I remember Mission City and Eygpt and Chicago so vividly, that the times in between is just... the build up to the next event. Being with them now, skips over all the logistics and cuts down on trying to convince old men to let me help out my friends, especially when I'm in the position to do so. That's why I do this job. That's why I get up every morning. Maybe that makes me nosy, or an adrenaline junky, but this is the kind of life I want to live and these are the kind of people I want to surround myself with. And you have all the right in the world to not like me for any which reason, but don't for a second think that if we don't hit it off and become best friends doesn't mean I'm going to hold it against you or anyone else."

Sam nods once for effect and the conversation ends at that.

As expected, the new Autobots got a warm human welcome. They were immediately brought to the Autobot Hanger that is currently filled with cars and jeeps and tanks and helicopters, and the like. All free and open for the newbies to pick from. Bumblebee puts Sam down and all the other Autobots come to watch their friends pick their alt forms.

Cliffjumper took the form of a sleek red car with bull horns on the very front. When he transformed back to his bipedal form, the horns appear on his head. All of the Autobots and humans whoop and holler for Cliffjumper. He grins, does a few boxer jabs before moving aside for Dustyrose, who, like Arcee, chose a motorcycle as he alt form, her armor a sleek but plain steel gray. The whoops and hollers return and Dustyrose lets out a whoosh of air from her vents and moves aside for Bulkhead. The beastly sized Autobot's chosen alt form is that of a dark green truck and gets the equal amount of applause from the audience once more.

Once that is over and the humans move away so the Autobots can catch up, Sam slips away to go back to his office. Once he gets there, he ignores all his emails and sends a strongly worded letter to Mearing, explaining all that just occurred and his appalled disgust at how the Autobots were formally treated. He makes it perfectly clear that he is the most adequate to deal with the Autobots and that he will take full responsibility for them. The letter go's on and on to explain, in detail, on his feelings for the entire way that the system is written. There is very little that Sam didn't pour onto that letter, other than personal issues with say, Carly for instance, he tells her exactly what is on his mind. Tell her exactly what he thinks about all of this bureaucratic bullshit. And Sam wasn't very nice about it either.

When he's done he proof reads the positively scathing letter and sends it off to Mearing without feeling the least bit sorry. Admittedly he didn't have to go off on her like that, it's not all her fault but he feels that someone has to take responsibility and he's got no one else in mind that can take even a part of it. Sam doesn't feel bad for sending the letter, but he does feel bad about pouring all his anger and frustration into it. All of the stress has just been building up since he got here and it finally kind of poured out.

Sam lets out an annoyed and angered sigh, pushing himself away from his desk, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. Sam has to reach bad and physically knead the tension from his shoulders, but in the end he feels at least a little bit better. And at this point, feeling a little bit better is a huge step in the right direction in Sam's mind. Damn the consequences. He'll deal with those when they come-later.

Sam gazes at the clock on his computer, it's almost seven o'clock. This entire ordeal took so much longer than he thought it would. But at least there are more Autobots and his friends seem happy. So, that's all that matters.

A knock at the door pulls Sam away from his thoughts, he calls, "Come in!" and watches as Bumblebee's human form walks into the room. "Oh," Sam says, mildly surprised. "What's up, buddy?"

Bumblebee comes to stand next to Sam, brushing some of his blond hair out of his eyes, seemingly annoyed. He kneels down in front of Sam's turned chair, parallel to the desk, and gestures around.

"Why am I here?" Sam guesses. Bumblebee nods. "I just wanted to send Mearing a report about the new Autobots and about how I feel concerning the protocol around here. Do you want to read it? It's probably my best, most scathing work yet."

Bumblebee looks a mixture of horrified and amused, almost like he can't decide which to be. He settles for mildly amused and smiles lightly. He folds his arms onto Sam's knees and looks up at him through thick, dark eyelashes, blue eyes mesmerizing.

"Today kind of kicked my ass, I think I'm going to get an early dinner, shower it up and hit the hay. You up for a drive into town? I mean, I understand if you don't your friends just got here..." Sam trails off. How stupid is that? Sam bets that Bumblebee doesn't like the idea of more Autobots being here, especially since they just got here and he's already looking for a escape. Which isn't how Sam feels at all. "I mean, it's not your friends or any of this," he gestures around him, "I just think that so much excitement around here is a lot for me to handle at the moment. I'm mad about how you guys are treated by other humans and I just don't want to take it out on anyone while the anger is still fresh, you know?"

Bumblebee nods, moving to stand. He waves for Sam to follow him as he heads to the door, opening it up the hall that leads to the front of the building to reveal the sleek yellow camero parked outside the door. The driver's side door pops open, invitingly, which makes Sam smile. Sam obliges and gets into the car and safety secures the seat belt around himself as Bumblebee heads for the exit of the base.

"Hey, Bee, before we get too far, can you radio in to Optimus and let him know that he has full authority on how the new Autobots are going to be integrated into base life. You know, schedule, maintenance, and living space, okay?" Bumblebee makes a whirl of affirmation as they leave the base through the armed guard outpost. Sam fondly remembers trying to get in before the Chicago incident. Sam had to fuck up his already fucked up car and have Bumblebee rescue them from getting shot down by the guards. Ahh, those were the days.

Sam and Bumblebee ride about in silence. Bumblebee sensing that Sam wasn't actually hungry and just needed time to clear his mind, just goes about driving through the city. Occationally, Sam would pull out his phone and text Carly but for the most part he stared out the window in silence, mind racing. Today felt so incredibly long and short in the same moment, Sam doesn't even know how that's possible. And the thought alone makes him more tired. After hours of driving around it starts to get dark out and Sam's phone rings again.

Pulling it out, he frowns when he sees that there is no notifications or messages of any kind. A moment later, another ring catches his ear and draws him to the blackberry that is for work. He grabs it out and sees that he has an email from Mearing and one from someone named Lance Rhoades. Suddenly nervous, Sam opens up the email from Mearing, expecting a brutal response from his previous letter, but the color drains from his face when he reads the first sentence of her email.

"Mr. Witwicky," she wrote, "you make a compelling argument that has lead my supriors into thinking that you handling the unveiling of the Autobots as a good and necessary idea."

And just like that, the miniscule amount of stress he relieved from that email piles back on ten fold and Sam had to drop his head to Bumblebee's steering wheel to keep from screaming, curing his horrible luck. And wondering, how in the world he is going to make this work.


	9. Prepare for the worst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: It's a little bit longer than the rest. *sigh* I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. A part of me still kind of sees it as unnecessary, but I partly know that it is. All of your comments have helped me out so much and motivated me to write it. Thank you so much, everyone! I know it's a little speech heavy the last couple of chapters-sorry about that. Don't worry, in the next few chapters, action will speed up. The way I see it is that this is a very hard story to write and it could easily be messed up. Anyway, I'm not big on making Sam cry. It just doesn't seem to be in his character to just cry all the time, so hopefully, those of you who are like me will understand this. Thanks! Let me know what you think in a comment!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: You might get a horrible case of the feels.
> 
> Word Count: 4,549

The following week is a long and sleepless one. Sam spends all day, every day cooped up in his office, watching videos of unveilings of secret projects to the public. How to best go about it, wording and the like. There is so much that goes into something like this and Sam's brain is spinning. He knows Bumblebee is worried, his blond holoform sits in the room with him most days, trying to keep him company. And when it's not Bumblebee, it's usually Optimus. Carly comes a lot too, when she's home. She always rubs Sam's tense and worn shoulders. Maggie's come a few times too, bringing Sam his lunch or dinner that he forgot to escape his cave for. Will checks up on Sam a lot, mostly trying to convince him to take a day off and get out of this "stuffy, barless prison cell" and interact with living life, but Sam would smile, wave him off saying he will when he finishes watching this video or that report, and next time Sam realizes it, hours have pasted.

It seems that Lance guy is some sort of secret department speech guru that teaches newbies like Sam how to give a speech without cracking the world in half. Either way, his tips and advice help a lot and Sam is thankful for that. The guy doesn't know a hundred percent what is going on, but he certainly has a good grasp of just how important all of this is. That, and from his emails, Sam gets the impression that the guy's a little... excentric.

Anyway, on a different, yet kind of related note.

Sam sleeps. It's one of the few things Sam doesn't really stinge on. Sam gets about five to six hours of sleep and then he's back and in his office working. Sam hasn't had that strange reoccurring dream that he used to have every single night. He falls into exhaustion and wakes up feeling a bit better. This has to be done perfectly, there is no way Sam is going to let his friends get hurt because he revealed too much information.

It's been hard, there is no disputing that. It would be hard on anyone; the long days, the headaches and restless nights. Sam finally gets the idea and plans most of it out. Now it's time for trial and error.

It's on day eight or opening his eyes and feeling like shit that Sam finally conceeds to a break. He rolls over and gets out of bed, per usual, and showers, brushing his hair and teeth, but instead of throwing on a stuffy suit like it's become habit, he throws on jeans and a t-shirt. Trading in his black dress shoes for worn out converse. Sam moves his aching body to the door when he hears something softly call out his name.

"Sam?"

Said boy turns and squints into the six o'clock darkness to see two sets of glowing eyes; one red, one blue. "Brains? Wheelie?"

"Not going to work?" Brains asks, quietly as to not wake Carly.

"Nah," Sam smiles tersely. "Works for chums. I'm actually just going to walk around and enjoy being alive. Well, as much as one can with stress aches everywhere and a splitting headache." Sam turns away and opens the door, letting the two ex-Decepticons out first before following them. The cool breeze feels good on Sam's warm skin and he lets out a sigh of relief.

Wheelie stands by the human's feet, looking up at him as they walk. "You know, Sam, yous gots a lot of peoples worried."

"Do I?" Sam asks, not really all that surprised. He has become a recluse. He's just so wrapped up in making sure he does this perfectly that he hasn't had time to care about the worried looks his friends have been sending him or the amount of times they ask if he's okay or suggest him to take a break. He's pretty close to burning out at this point. Sam knows it's not fair to his friends, but he just couldn't stop. Not without being sure that he is doing everything in his power to help his friends.

"Yeah, you do. Practically everyone," Brains says, scratching the top of his electric blue haired head. "Well, of those that matter."

Sam laughs at that, feeling a bit better already. "Oh yeah? Well, I'm sorry guys, and I'll apologize to everyone else too. I just want this to be perfect and keep all of you as safe as we can considering."

"And wes are all thankful for that, you know? We Autobots appreciate ya dedication," Wheelie says, waving his hands around. "Wes was just worried you'd run yourself dry."

Sam smiles mirthlessly at that. "Don't worry about that happening. I'm not one of those people that work themselves to the point of absolute exhaustion. Yeah, I'm tired, but I still have a couple more days of this in me. See? I'm responsible." Sam shrugs. "Besides, I've reached a point where I'm ready to take the next step in this entire revealing thing. I need to iron out the details and move forward."

Brains and Wheelie share a look. Finally, Brains says, "It's alright to take a break, there is no hurry." Which is strange, Wheelie isn't usually the one that warrants caution over action.

Sam nods, writing off his mild interest in Wheelie's sudden change of character. "Yeah, thanks guys, really. I'm okay. Everything is okay. Now, it's still early, you two should still get some more rest. Don't worry," he says when both open their mouths to speak, he hurries on, "I'll be fine. Go on." The two small Autobots nod and hurry off back to Sam and Carly's room. Sam watches as they disappear inside, the door shutting quietly before he continues on his little impromptu walk.

Now, Sam needs to get some guinea pigs to listen to his speech and critique. And after that he needs to plan out exactly where he wants certain Autobots. This is going to be a touch one. But at least it might be worth it. Sam just prays to every god that'll listen to not let this blow up in his face. Sam's not naive enough to think that nothing won't go wrong nor will there not be any controversy, but he hopes the world takes it better than he's fearing.

Sam stops when he sees that his feet have brought him to the Autobot's hanger. Sam quietly sneaks inside the open vast room, holding most of the Autobots. All sleeping in their alt forms. Cacooned protectively in the center of the room, between layers of Autobots is Optimus. The red and blue flamed truck somehow seems majestic and untouchable. Sam snakes his way through the sleeping Autobots making sure he doesn't wake any of them.

An invisible string seems to connect Sam to the slumbering Prime, everything in the room seems to fade into the gray area. Sam can't stop himself, he doesn't even know if he wants to stop himself, but he needs to talk to Optimus, he needs to tell him what's going to happen. Maybe it is the All Spark that's driving him, maybe it's something else entirely. Either way, he needs to talk to Optimus, and he needs to do it now. He may not get another chance like this again, and that scares him to his very core.

Once he's in front of Optimus he very lightly presses his hand onto the hood. The very subtle, silent hum, revs very slightly in acknowledgement. Sam leans against the Autobot leader and closes his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Optimus," Sam whispers softly, knowing he can hear him. "I know I've been worrying you guys and that wasn't my intention. I just don't want to make your life harder than it already is. Trust me, that wasn't my intention. Please forgive me." Sam lowers his head so his forehead rests on the hood, enjoying the coolness of the metal. Sam feels Optimus rumble softly, and Sam can feel the reassurance from it. When did Sam learn how to read nonverbal actions of the Autobot alt form? "I know we haven't known each other for a very long time, but I need you guys to know that I'm trying everything I can to help."

Optimus's engine rumbles a little louder before quieting down. Sam smiles lightly, feeling so much better, like an immense weight has been lifted from his shoulders. Something about Optimus and Bumblebee that always makes Sam feel like maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay. And at this point, that is heavenly. Once again they do the unimaginable for Sam it just means the world.

"I think about it a lot, you know," Sam say softly, pulling his face away to look through the dim light at the red and blue paint. "I think about how you died for me. That... that killed me, Optimus. You have no idea, exactly what that did to me. No one would ever do something like that for me, or at least no one that I thought would be silly enough to throw their life away for a no named college student like myself. Not when they had so much more to lose. But then you were there... telling me to run, making me swear to live. And I did... I ran, I lived. I..." Sam swallows thickly, trying to get his thoughts in order. "I kept trying to tell myself that... that somehow you knew. You knew that whatever information the All Spark gave me would be very important... or that maybe, somehow you knew that this wasn't your end." Sam let's out a couple slow breaths, trying to calm down, trying to keep his voice down. "But you didn't did you? You had no way of knowing." Sam's eyes fill with tears and he has to look up and blink them away. No tears. He's stronger than that. "Optimus, you saw something in me that I didn't know existed. You saw something worth saving and... and to this day... I still have no clue, no tangible proof that the Autobots didn't almost lose their leader for nothing. And now... now that the All Spark is gone... there wont be any more Primes, will there?"

Optimus doesn't respond, but Sam didn't expect him too. Sam finally looks back down at the semi.

"I... I don't... If I lost any more friends... I don't know... when I saw Cliffjumper and Arcee... god, Optimus," Sam sighs softly, thinking back to the moment the two set eyes on each other, the love. "I've never wanted to cry so much in my entire life. "Sparkmates" Ratchet told me. And I believe it. The All Spark showed me the blinding connection that sparkmates have. That chain of life that connects the two together and it was so bright and beautiful and I've never been so mesmerize as I was right then. The way they looked at each other, like war and death and grief and loss... none of that touched that beautiful place. Nothing darkened or tainted it in any way, shape or form and it was lovely." Sam closes his eyes, and in his mind's eye he sees that chain of light connecting their sparks together, and Sam had to wonder if it was always there and that it was just stretched so far that it was like a mere thread, still connecting them from light years away.

Optimus's hood warms beneath his fingertips and Sam leans on Optimus, letting his neck relax and his head to drop. In this strange position, he finds peace. Being able to lean on something strong enough to support his problems. However miniscule.

And just like that, waves after waves of emotions crash into Sam, almost knocking him over. All the hurt and the fear and the pain and weariness and the curiosity and wonder, all of it hitting him so hard at once, Sam physically trembles, trying to control his shaking body, because he's happy and sad and afraid, all wrapped up in one.

"I'm scared," Sam whispers, voice thick with emotion. "I'm scared of a lot of things, actually. I'm scared of spiders, and rats, and politicians, and Decepticons and so much more. But nothing, and I mean nothing, scares me more than the future. Not knowing whether or not this is going to be a huge mistake or not. Not being able to know that by telling the general public about you, will you be safe? Will people come after you or hurt you? By telling them that you are the Autobot leader, am I sentencing you to death. Am I putting this huge red target on your back and showing everyone who they need to kill, who they need to eliminate first? Will my actions be..." Sam chokes, a horrible, painful noise that twists in his gut and throat. "Will I be what kills you again? Be-because this time... there might not be a third chance! There probably won't be another get out of jail free! What if I fuck up and that's the end?"

Optimus's engine roars angrily in the silence of the room and Sam has no delusions that the others are awake, but respectfully pretending that they aren't. Sam knows that there is so much Optimus wants to say, to try and convince him that he's wrong that for one reason or another, he shouldn't be blamed for all of this, but Sam is thankful, once more, that Optimus remains in his alt mode, not adept like Bumblebee in using the stereo to communicate or his holo form. He's letting Sam spill his guts.

"I love you guys," Sam whispers, pressing his eyes closed to stop the torrent of emotion, trying to build back the dam. "I love your life and your loyalty and your unwavering faith. I'm not naïve enough to believe that you are cleansed of all earthly sins, but somehow in all this death and darkness, you all still seem to be pinnacles of light, of goodness," Sam laughs thickly. "And a big part of it is thanks to you, Optimus," Sam finally opens his eyes again, the tears finally receding. "I can see it, clear as day what you do. You always tell us to have hope and to keep faith and I think a big part of it is you as a person, but the other part if your genetic connection to the other Primes."

Optimus's engine dies down to a near silent hum. So comforting, so soothing, it gives Sam the power to continue.

"When I... when I died, I felt the presence of the Primes and they told me that I wasn't done yet, that there was still something that I needed to do. And...and for so long I thought that... or maybe I hoped that they meant I was suppose to stay with you guys. Stay and protect those that mean so much to me. And to this day, I still don't know for sure, I still have no proof or explanation as to what I should do. That's why I worked so hard, I think you need to know that. I worked so hard because your worth it, and I ignored your worried looks or your attempt to distract me because I thought, "just ten minutes more... just one hour more" and I will have somehow found that everything will magically be okay," Sam stands up, slightly, hands still flat on Optimus's hood. "I know this is a lot to just lay on you after having just woke up... but for some reason, I can't stop and I know I'm ranting and probably not making a whole lot of sense, but still. I just need you guys to know that I love you so much and I would do anything to keep you safe."

Optimus makes a strange noise that Sam can't decipher, and after a few minutes of silence, Sam fully pushes away from Optimus, clearing his throat and straightening his back. Giving the false impression that he is still in control.

Sam turns away, knowing that his next words will anger the Autobot leader greatly. "Optimus, I need you to promise me that... that if everything suddenly goes wrong... if the people take this the wrong way and people begin to panic... that you'll get all the Autobots and leave. Leave Earth for good and never come back."

As expected, Optimus revs his engines in anger, and it's so loud, Sam wonders if the faint sound of other engines revving in anger is just his imagination. Either way, Sam turns back to Optimus and lays his palms flat against the hood once more, the engine dying to a low, simmering rumble under Sam's fingertips. Pain grips his chest like none other, making him shake once more, but he forces it back, tries desperately to keep strong.

"I know it's not wha-what you want to hear. But I need you to promise, okay? I need you to do that for me," Sam's voice is thick and the words just tumble out like they have a mind of their own, "I'll never forgive myself if something happened to any of you all because of something I sa-said. So long as you are safe, and okay, I can live with being alone for the rest of my life. Besides, it's just a hundred years, at the most, nothing in comparison to a Cybertronian life. My existence is merely a blip on the radar, you know? Everything will be okay."

Optimus's engine sounds like an angry snarl from a beast, the metal growing hot beneath his hands, not enough to scald, but enough to bruise. Sam has to pull his hands away to keep from burn himself. Sam's heart feels like it's breaking in half, but he swallows this fresh pain, just like the rest.

"I won't give up, not yet. I'm still going to try my absolute hardest to make this place, your permanent home... but I just... I just need to prepare myself to say goodbye if I have to. And if it's for your safety... than I will. No matter how much it might hurt. But it's not over yet, we still have time, right? We can still find hope, right?" Sam asks, shakily, shoulders slumping inward, struggling to hold himself together. It feels like his body is ripping apart at the seams.

"Tine stands still, beauty in all she is, I will be brave. I will not let anything take away, what's standing in front of me, every breath, every hour has come to this, one step closer," Bumblebee's radio plays and Sam hunches over, trying weakly to keep strong.

"Don't do this to me, Bee, please. It's hard enough already," Sam begs softly, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to prevent the tears that welled up from flowing. "It's not over yet. We still have time."

"I have died every day, waiting for you, darling don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years, I will love you for a thousand more," Bumblebee's radio plays, softer than before. Sam's body hunches over Optimus's hood trying desperately to calm down. After a few minutes of silence, Sam finally composes himself for the last time, rubbing his face harshly to cover up the fact that he's so flushed even though they all know he is.

"I'm pretty worn out," Sam admits softly. "I think I'm going to go back to bed and maybe get a few more hours of rest, okay?" Bumblebee's back door pops open, a silent invitation. Sam hesitates for a brief moment before nodding, tiredly. "Okay... you win. For old time's sake, right, Bee?"

Bumblebee makes a low rumble of agreement and Sam whispers, "sweet dreams" to anyone who heard it and walks over to Bumblebee's back seat, climbing in and curling up in the soft, warm leather, remembering back to his high school days, he would come out and sleep in Bumblebee's back seat almost every night because he couldn't sleep. After Bumblebee had to start leaving to help out and Carly came into his life, he didn't need to sleep in Bumblebee's back seat to escape his fears, but on some of the rare occasions that Bee was back and Sam did have nightmares, he would crawl into that warm, comfy seat and slip into a peaceful and restful slumber.

Indulging in that simple pleasure, Sam closes his eyes and lets sleep take him.

Once Sam has fully slipped into unconsciousness, Optimus carefully transforms into his bipedal form and stares down at the yellow Autobot housing the human he holds so dear.

"I'm sorry, Sam, for I cannot keep that promise," Optimus says softly. "I believe at this point it would be impossible to leave you behind, let alone convince my friends to leave. I know I would not be doing it willingly..." he trails off. "You... underestimate your worth, and your strength." After a long moment, he finally says, "And you especially underestimate the love that we have for you as well."

Then the Autobot leader, oh so delicately touched the spot on his armor where a single, pain filled teardrop landed.

Sam awoke from a peaceful dream, which is oddly refreshing since he hasn't been dreaming much lately and the only other dreams he had were of that place of swirls, but he had a normal, plain dream. One he didn't remember, but knows that it was just one of those dreams where nothing gets done but your so relaxed that you couldn't care less.

Sam stretches, hands and feet knocking on the interior of Bumblebee's back doors. Sam turns to face the seat and relax again, slipping in and out of consciousness. He's never been so comfortable in his whole life. Okay, admittedly, this is the most comfortable he's been in a long time. He knows he's in Bumblebee's alt form, he knows he's still in the Autobot hanger, and somehow, just like in his dreams, Sam knows that he is surrounded by the Autobots. Sam is starting to wonder if this feeling of safety and comfort is from the All Spark.

It can influence his dreams and see through his mind's eye. What's to say it can't affect his feelings too?

The next time Sam is aware, his legs ache from being curled up in one position for so long. Sam slowly unravels from his curled up ball, sitting up and rubbing his head, thankful that his head ache is gone, even if it is replaced with a tad bit more than minor aches and pains. Kneading the ache from his shoulder, looking around, trying to get his bearings. He can see through Bumblebee's front windshield Arcee and Cliffjumper a few feet away, to the right and Sideswipe to the left.

No matter what, he does feel completely replenished. Like this is the first night in years that he's been able to sleep without a care in the world. Maybe all of his thoughts and concerns really were weighing heavily down on him. Maybe it took him to mentally and physically exhaust himself to such a degree that it out could just freely come out. Either way, he hasn't felt this good in a long time.

"What time is it, Bumblebee?" Sam croaks.

The radio powers on and Bee's soft, british voice comes through. "It's almost noon, Sam."

Sam rubs his face, trying to rub the sleep away. "That's a good amount of time. I hope I didn't keep you from anything important."

Sam smiles lightly when Bumblebee makes a soft noise. "Not at all. You had quite the morning."

"Is Optimus mad?"

Bumblebee answers immediately. "No."

Sam hesitates for a split second, remembering what he had asked of Optimus before he went back to sleep. "Are...are you mad?"

It's Bumblebee's turn to hesitate. After a minute or two of silence, he finally says, "No. But I won't leave."

"Bumblebee-"

"I'm serious, Sam. I won't leave, even if you ask me." Bumblebee says sternly. The back door to Sam's left pops open and Sam doesn't need to be told twice to get out, before the Autobot is transforming into his bipedal form. Sam scrambles to get in front of Bee before he can escape.

"Bumblebee, hey! Don't walk away, stay and talk for a minute," Sam says.

Bumblebee hesitates, looking like he's going to ignore Sam, but he lets out a whoosh of air from his vents and lowers down to get as close to eye level as he can. Bumblebee doesn't look at Sam, he just pouts. Sam reaches out to touch Bee's vocalizer, Bumblebee takes that opportunity to give Sam big puppy dog eyes.

Sam looks into those big eyes and he can't help but smile, slightly. "Come on, Bee, don't give me that look. I'm not saying goodbye and... and there's nothing that... there's nothing that says it'll happen, okay? I just... want to make sure all my bases are covered, okay? Okay, Bee?" Sam tries to look into those big blue eyes, but Bumblebee keeps trying to look away.

The yellow Autobot makes a negative noise and shakes his head slightly, not enough to dislodge Sam's grip on his vocalizer.

"We don't know for sure, Bee, we don't know. Maybe... maybe this will be something we can laugh about in thirty years, right?" Sam asks, quietly. He pins the Autobot with a steely brown gaze. "This isn't goodbye, okay? Not yet. I know I scared you this morning and I'm sorry. Goodbye may be in a week, a month or a hundred years from now, but it's not this moment. Okay?"

Bumblebee nods, slowly. He makes a low, sad, keening noise.

"I will... be with your for... as long as... I can!" Bumblebee's radio plays.

Sam smiles in relief. "Ditto."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used:
> 
> 1\. A Thousand Years by Christina Perri ft. Steve Kazee


	10. A day out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Okay, guys! I am sorry for the semi-slow update. All of your comments had me so pumped, I couldn't find the right place to stop. It's a bit longer than my usual chapters, so that's good. Anyway, I love hearing from everyone! Thanks for the comments and reads! Let me know what you think! Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 5,356
> 
> "I believe in evolution in the sense that a short-tempered man is the successor of a crybaby." ~Criss Jami

"Oh, good, you finally crawled out of your dusty, dark office and joined the rest of the humans and Autobots in the sun. Vitamin D, it's good for you," Maggie says sarcastically, when she sees Sam in the lunchroom, eating.

Sam rolls his eyes. "Yeah, well, too much of it will give you cancer."

Maggie blinks at that for a moment, thinking. "Oh, ha! Touche!" She sits down across from him with a bowl of raisin brand. Sam shakes his head, ducking his head down to hide a smile. After a few minutes of eating in silence, Maggie asks, "What's on the agenda today?"

Sam finishes chewing on some toast, before answering, "I am actually going to practice my speech some and look to my other duties, that I've neglected for the past week."

Maggie makes a face at that right as someone else says, "Wrong!"

Sam looks up to see Will sliding into the seat next to him, Ironhide not far behind.

"Will is right, this is the first time most of us have seen you in days. Time to get out and have some fun," Ironhide says. "No buts," he cuts in when Sam opens his mouth to protest. Sam leans back in his seat and let's out a long drawn out sigh escape him.

"Come on guys, I've got a lot of work to do. It's bad enough I slacked off this long," Sam protests weakly, not really all that opposed to the idea of not doing the mountain of paperwork he knows is waiting for him.

"True," Will solemn amends, the grins charmingly. "But one more day wont do anything more. So, today is going to be a relaxing day for us. Robert is going to run drills so I'm free today and Maggie doesn't do much of anything, anyway so there's no loss there-"

"Hey!" Maggie says indignant.

Will continues as if he wasn't interrupted, other than the smile on his face. "And you run this place so you can leave on your own authority."

Sam gives Will a look. "And since I have all of this power, shouldn't I be responsible with it?"

"No," Ironhide says, gruffly.

Sam looks at Ironhide, trying to hide his smile. "Optimus would not approve."

The black Autobot turns away, grumbling something about a strict leader. Bumblebee makes a noise of sympathy at Ironhide, who only gives him a dry look in return.

Will nods slowly to himself. "How about we vote on it?" Before Sam can answer, Will asks, "Who's up for a day of relaxing fun?" Maggie, Bumblebee, Ironhide and Will all raise their hands. Sam opens his mouth to comment, but Will continues, "And who thinks Sam is a stick in the mud?"

Maggie and Will's hands stay up but Ironhide and Bumblebee's falter out of confusion. Maggie quickly explains, "Sam's not being fun right now. That's what a stick in the mud is. No fun." Their hands straighten back up.

Sam glares at them playfully. "Hardy har. Can I say something?"

"Sure," Maggie says sweetly as they all lower their hands.

"How are you guys going to leave? I mean, doesn't Prowl have you on a strict schedule? I mean it's not like just asking Optimus, you guys know how Prowl better than I. He will hunt you down if you turn up missing for an assignment. Have you thought of that?" Sam asks, eyebrows risen to hide behind his bangs. Both Bumblebee and Ironhide cringe at that.

Will and Maggie pout at that, and the group sits in silence either cursing Prowl or trying to think of a way past Prowl. Optimus is the only one that can overrule Prowl and he's been in a terse mood since this morning, thanks to Sam, so he probably would tell them to work it out with his second, Prowl the Fun Devourer.

"What's going on?" Arcee asks, walking up with a plate of energon cubes, Cliffjumper at her side.

Will's eyes light up. "I've got an idea!"

"And why do you need Bumblebee, Ironhide, Cliffjumper and Arcee?" Prowl asks skeptically.

Sam twists around to glare at Will, who smiles sweetly and nods for him to go on. Bumblebee, Ironhide, Arcee and Cliffjumper cower behind Maggie and Will. Cowards. Though, Sam guesses he can't blame them, Prowl's a real hard ass, and a stickler for order. Similar to Ratchet in that sense. Sam's beginning to understand why people call him Ratchet the Hatchet behind his back.

Sam slowly turns and looks up at the imposing red Autobot. He smiles, or tries to, realizing how fake it looks, he squints so as to not look into suspicious blue optics. "Protection detail?"

Prowl raises an eyebrow. "Are you asking me or telling me?"

Sam blanches, cursing Will in his mind. "Telling?"

Prowl harrumphs, turning away to type something into the computer in front of him. He looks through the schedules of the aforementioned Autobots, checking to see what they were suppose to be doing today.

"Bumblebee," the mentioned Auotbot tenses at the sound of his name, "if you do not do living block construction, you are leaving the load for Skids and Mudflap to do on their own," the red Autobot turns to look at the wide eyed yellow Auotbot. "Can you live with that?"

Bumblebee snorts, nodding. Arcee turns her head away to hide a smile. Prowl seizes them up with a calculating gaze, which makes the four Autobots straighten their backs.

"Don't make me have to punish you for something stupid done while outside the base," Prowl warns. Eight heads bob up and down. "Good, you may go, but you must alert Optimus before so."

Sam makes a face. This reminds him of when he was younger and his parents would always say yes to him going out but right before he leaves though in "Oh, and tell your father" or "You better let your mother know that your going". Sam has to shake away the memories and make a mental note to call his parents up and see how they are doing.

"Thanks Prowl," Sam says, backing away before the second-in-command can change his mind.

Prowl grunts, turning away from them to reformat the schedule because of the absence of five Autobots. Luckily nothing essential is being done at the moment, so a bit of leniency is fine. As if Prowl is going to believe that Sam and the rest of those fools would go out with the intention of anything other than fun. Optimus will see so too, so ultimately the decision is up to him.

"Never again," Sam says once they get out of earshot of Prowl.

Will laughs, clapping his back hard. "Don't worry about that. Come on, let's go talk to see Optimus and then head out."

"Okay, who's going to talk to him?" Sam asks.

"I can," Arcee offers.

Will nods. "Good, thanks Arcee."

The pretty blue Autobot nods and walks off, scanning the area for Optimus. Sam shuffles on his feet, having an inner conflict with himself. He needs to apologize to Optimus about this morning, and avoiding him is just delaying the inevitable. Maybe this is the perfect oppertunity to give himself and Optimus some peace of mind. Boy does he wish this would just go away on it's own.

Mustering up the strength, Sam calls out, "Wait, Arcee, I'll go with you. I have to talk to Optimus before we go too." He hesitates for a split second then shakes his head and forces himself to move. This is Optimus. His friend. There is nothing wrong with going to see him.

Why is Sam so worried about seeing Optimus? It's not like Optimus is going to yell at him and Bumblebee already said that Optimus wasn't mad at him. Although... that doesn't mean that he's not mad. Sam curses himself for thinking that. Now he's worried again.

Just buck up, Sam, he thinks, it's just Optimus. Not some serial killer.

"Where is he?" Sam asks Arcee, when the blue Autobot pauses and looks around as if confused.

Arcee shakes her head again. "Sorry, I just... I just got a strange feeling is all. I thought for sure... no. It's nothing. Optimus is at the firing range." She transforms into her alt mode. "Hope on."

"I've never rode... ridden, whatever. I've never driven a motorcycle before," Sam says wearily.

Arcee revs her engines. "Oh, Sam. I'm no motorcycle. And who said anything about you driving?" She chuckles. "Hop on and hold on tight."

Sam blanches at the idea but obliges. "Please don't kill me, Arcee."

"I'd never, Sam," Arcee says confidently. "Optimus and Bumblebee would never forgive me if I do."

Sam rolls his eyes. "That's reassuring."

The ride to the firing range was a swift and scary one. There isn't much that can paralyze Sam in fear, but Arcee's driving is one of them. Sam's legs are shaking by the time they get to there. Optimus's trailer is there, opened up for his weapons. There is multiple targets yards away from him, big and small, all varying in size and shape. No matter the shape or size, Optimus hits it with precision that years of war time would provide.

Arcee transforms into her bipedal form, and the two wait respectfully for him to pause.

It takes a few minutes before Optimus pauses and notices their presence. He turns to look at them, his battle mask is slid protectively over his nose and mouth. His eyes are hardened and narrow. It takes him a moment to completely transition from battle to neutral presence. Optimus straightens out of his battle stance and lowers his canon, battle mask slipping off his face.

"Arcee, Sam," he acknowledges, nodding to both of them. "Is something wrong?"

"No, Optimus, everything is fine," Arcee says. "I am actually here on behalf of Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Ironhide and myself."

"And I have something to discuss with you," Sam says. He shrinks a little when Optimus's heavy gaze lands on him. "Nothing, bad. Just wanting to clear some stuff up." Sam says quickly.

Optimus nods, turning to Arcee. "Very well, you first."

Arcee straightens up. "Um, the four of us wish to... accompany Sam, Will and Maggie on their day out, today..." She stares up at Optimus and then quietly adds, "Prowl already gave the okay..."

The corners of Sam's lips turn up at that. It reminds Sam of children asking their parents to let them do something, even after one of them gets permission from one for the parents.

Optimus raises an eyebrow. "And what exactly are you guys planing on doing?"

Arcee shifts uncomfortably. "I'm not a hundred percent certain of that yet, sir. We figured that we needed to get through Prowl before making any finite plans." She looks away from Optimus, like she's in trouble for something.

"Oh," Optimus nods. "If Prowl has already adjusted the schedule, than it's fine. Keep them safe, alright?"

Arcee nods. "Yes, Optimus. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Keep in touch and let us know what's going on."

"Yes, sir." Arcee nods, smiling. She looks down at Sam. "I'll let you speak in private, I'll be over there when you're ready to go."

"Alright, Arcee. Thanks. I'll be with you in a few minutes." Sam and Optimus watch in silence as she heads further off on the firing range, pulling out her own cannons and turning away to give them privacy. "How about a short walk?" Sam suggest.

Optimus nods and the two walk in the opposite direction in silence.

Finally, Sam looks up at the Autobot leader. "Optimus, I'm sorry. I had no intention of making you mad."

"I'm not mad," Optimus says quickly. He glances down at Sam and sees the disbelieving look on his face and looks straight ahead again. "I'm not. At least, not a you or at what you said this morning."

Sam stops walking, still craning his neck to look at the red and blue Autobot. "Then what?"

Optimus stops walking, closing his his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Just some issues about..." Optimus hesitates. "It's nothing that you should have to concern yourself with. I've just been trying to ignore it for a long time and reality just kind of crashed down on me."

"This morning?" Sam asks quietly.

Optimus sighs, a rush of air from his vents. "This isn't your fault, Sam. Remember that. It's my fault. And now it's just something I'm going to have to figure out how to deal with it now. Don't worry about it, please. You already have enough on your plate, as is."

Sam frowns, not sure whether he should fight it or not. If it's important enough, then Optimus will come talk to him soon enough, right? Sam hoped so.

"Okay," Sam relents. "So... Optimus, how would you feel about a day off?"

"How do you do it?" Will asks. "I mean it. How do you do it?"

"What's that, Maggie?" Sam asks, nodding to the lunch box at her side.

"You'll see, later," Maggie says, patting the plastic with a smile.

Sam nods slowly then gives Will a look. "Do what, now?"

"How do you manipulate people so easily with out even trying? Is it because you flash those doe browns?" Will asks, laughing as the group makes their way toward the front entrance. The Autobots transform into their alt forms.

Sam subconsciously goes to Bumblebee's driver's side. He looks at Will with raised eyebrows. "I don't manipulate anyone without trying. I happen to be very good at it. I took a class in college. I'm surprised you didn't know about that. I'm just a bit confused on who I manipulated this time."

Maggie laughs at that.

Will shakes his head as he walks over to Ironhide. "First you seamlessly charmed Prowl into letting us go and then you got Optimus to come along. Damn, you had to of taken classes or something. Either way, I am thoroughly impressed."

Maggie laughs harder, walking over to Cliffjumper. "Mind giving a lady a ride?" Cliffjumper's front door pops open. "Thank you. Sorry Arcee, I would have asked you, but I'm just afraid that I'll let go out of fear and die. No offence. With Cliffjumper, at least I won't just go flying off the side. I still love you, though."

"Yeah, yeah," Arcee says over the radio. "Sam tried giving me that same bull."

"Ouch," Sam mock grimaced.

Will rubs his face. "Okay, fine. You've convinced me. Let me go grab my jacket. Keep in mind, Arcee, it's been quite a few years since I last rode on a motorcycle. I'll be back." Will shrugs at Ironhide and dashes off to grab his jacket. Ironhide hums.

"Sorry, Ironhide. I didn't mean to steal your buddy," Arcee says.

Ironhide shakes on his wheels. "Not at all. Besides, I think this will be interesting."

Sam grabs out his phone and checks the time. It's about one o'clock. Carly should be on her break soon. There is a good chance she'll be willing to leave work and spend a day with friends. Besides, it's been a long time since Carly and Sam did anything fun together. It could be good for their relationship.

"Hey, you guys wouldn't mind deviating from the mall to go see if Carly wants to skip out on work to come with us, do you?" Sam asks.

"Not at all," Arcee says.

"Let's do it," Ironhide says.

"Sounds good to me," Cliffjumper says. "I'm actually kind of excited to see what this is all about. I've always wanted to see what this... mall, is. This is going to be fun. Plus, I can't wait to try out my holo form."

"Goodie, we get the princess to join us," Maggie sighs.

Sam gives her a look. "What's with you ladies and your dislike of each other?"

Maggie shrugs, leaning on Cliffjumper's door. "I don't know. I just... I don't think..." she shakes her head. "No, forget it."

Sam stares at her, but she refuses to look back at him. "Maggie, what?"

Maggie scratches her curly blond haired head. She lets out a long, drawn out sigh before forcing a smile at Sam and shakes her head. "Nothing, Sam. This is suppose to be a fun day. Just forget about it."

Sam crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. "Maggie-"

"Sam, we can talk about this another time. Okay? I'm sorry that I brought it up."

"Fine," Sam holds up his hands in defeat. "We'll talk about this later. And I mean it. This isn't going to be swept under the rug, yes?"

Maggie nods, waving him off. "Yes, yes. I'm sorry."

"Sorry," Will says breathlessly, jogging up with a black leather jacket on over his green army fatigues. "Sorry about that, let's go." He notices the tenseness in the air and looks around confused. "Uh, is something wrong? Sam? Maggie?"

"No," Sam and Maggie answer at once, both sharing a look.

"It's nothing," Sam says finally. "I was wondering if it was alright if we stop by Carly's work to see if she wants to come with. That cool?"

Will nods. "Yeah, sure. Okay, Arcee," Will says confidently, turning to the blue Autobot. "I'm driving."

Arcee's engine revs. "Let's see what you got, cowboy."

Will laughs, blue eyes shining. "Alright, crew, lets hit the road. Sam, Bumblebee, lead the way."

All the humans pile into respective Autobots and with Sam and Bumblebee leading the charge, they head toward Carly's work.

Sam, along with the rest of their little posse, wait outside of Carly's work, while Sam calls his girlfriend.

After the fourth ring, Carly picks up. "Sam? Hey, I was just about to call you." Is it just Sam or does Carly sound breathless?

"Are you okay, Carly? You sound like your out of breath," Sam says, leaning against Bumblebee, looking at Will and Maggie, the latter of whom crosses her arms.

"Yeah," Carly sighs, catching her breath. "My new boss is like a nazi. He demands that I run all of the errands myself because it can't be trusted with anyone but me. He has me running up and down this building making sure everything is in order. I just came up from the fifth floor. Gosh, what a headache."

Sam smiles sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that, Carly. Hey, how does living a little sound?"

Carly hums, pleased. "That sounds like fun. What did you have in mind?" She purrs.

Sam laughs. "Not that, Carly. Get your head out of the gutter." Will covers his mouth to hide his smile while Maggie rolls her eyes. Sam shakes his head at Maggie, to which she just shrugs. "Actually, I have a couple of friends, with me waiting for you out in the parking lot so we can go on a not-date in a totally unromantic way to the mall. How does that sound?"

"Good," Carly sounds a bit disappointed but agrees nonetheless. "I'm going to tell my boss. I'll be out in a couple of minutes. What side of the building are you at?"

"West entrance."

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute."

"Alright," Sam says, "love you."

"Yeah, love you too."

Sam closes his phone and looks around. "She'll be out in a minute."

Carly is walking out of the building five minutes later with in her short white dress, high heels clacking against the concrete as she makes her way over to them. She smiles lightly at the sight of them. She kisses Sam when she get close.

"Shall we go?" Will asks.

"Let's go," Sam says, opening Bumblebee's side door for Carly. She smiles gratefully and gets in while Sam goes to the other side. After that, they all head out in a four car, one motorcycle convoy.

They get to the mall and all the Autobots produce their holo forms.

Bumblebee's blond haired, blue eyed mid 20's young man. Clothed in dark washed jeans and a t-shirt, the front half tucked into the waistband held together by a belt and converse, similar to Sam's black and white ones.

Optimus's shoulder length black hair, with the same brilliant blue eyes. His holo form is in his early to mid 30's, dressed in jeans and a dark blue button up dress shirt, rolled up to the elbows and plain black shoes.

Cliffjumper is a clear faced, carrot top with blue eyes and a goatee. His hair is short and messy and just a brilliant shade of orangeish red. He's in a loose t-shirt and jeans tucked neatly into combat boots with a buckled belt around his waist.

Arcee's holoform is a shapely blond amazon with big blue eyes and mid-back length blond hair made up of big curls in a small shirt, showing off her pierced belly button (the jewel looked oddly like the Autobots symbol) and cargo pants tucked into combat boots.

Ironhide looks like a mid to late 30's shaved, dark haired man with five o'clock shadow and bright blue eyes. Dressed similar to Will with green army fatigues and dog tags with the Autobots symbol on them.

"Damn," Maggie says, looking over all of them. "Why do they have to look so good?"

"It's genetics," Sam jokes.

The group makes their way into the relatively empty mall. All of the kids are still in school and it's mostly just adults getting some shopping done while they have free time. Their group of beautiful Autobots get a lot of attention form the other occupants of the mall, but, as Sam suspected, the Auotbots don't seem to notice. They are too busy looking around, admiring all of the things around them. All the war harden Autobots resort to animated children being taken into a candy store for the first time. Even Optimus.

Sam gets a thrill of pleasure up his spine at the sight of these war harden warriors, smiling in pure glee and surprise. There is no shadow of doubt, or hint of worry, just pure amazement. And Sam loves it.

"Sam, it looks like Cliffjumper and Arcee need a little help on coupling it up, don't you say?" Carly whispers into Sam's ear. The human hero twist his neck around to see the two, aforementioned Autobots walking side by side, stiff like boards.

Out of all the Autobots, Bumblebee's movements and facial expressions are the most spot on, if Sam didn't know any better, he'd think for sure the blond haired boy was human. Next is Ironhide, who spends a lot of time in holo form to spar around with Will and the other NEST soldiers. Optimus is next, with little to no experience in his holo form, Arcee who only uses it when she's in her alt mode, which stays in one position and then Cliffjumper, who is on his first time use.

Sam nods at their straight back, stiff walking forms. "I see what you mean. Hey, Cliff," Sam calls, smiling to himself at the nickname. But it catches all the human formed Autobots' attention. "Hold your hand out like this." Sam has his hand low in-between himself and Carly, down by their waists with his palm upward. Cliffjumper stares for only a moment before mimicking with precision.

"And Arcee," Carly says, looking over her shoulder at the amazon. "Do this." She smoothly interlace her fingers with Sam's and they let their interlocked hands fall relaxed to their side. Arcee mimics and when her fingers touch Cliffjumper's, they both smile at each other. Just as Sam expected, their fingers lace perfectly and then drop to the center space in-between them. Sam can see their faces flush in embarrassment and has to marvel at how well done their holo forms really are. With enough practice, they could all pass as humans.

"Come on, 'Hide," Will laughs. "You want to hold my hand, don't you?"

The dirty look Ironhide sends Will makes Sam burst out laughing he barely hear the black Autobot snort, "In your dream, Lennox."

"I know the english language is new to you, 'Hide, but you pronounced nightmares wrong. Come one, say it with me," Will jokes, getting playfully shoved in the shoulder, only to nudge him back a tab bit softer. Best not to get into a shoving match with an Autobot. You might die. Or never walk again.

As the day precedes, the Autobots are able to perfectly mimic human action, almost better than humans. They stop by almost every story so all of the Autobot can look around. Feel the fabric of different clothes, try on real make up (in Arcee's case and a bit of rouge blush on Ironhide that Will was able to sneak on before roughly shoved away with a warning), and trying on random accessories. They are getting the full human experience.

"How does a early dinner sound?" Will asks. "I'm starving."

The group agrees and heads to the food court and Maggie leads them to the back, most secluded booth there, confusing Sam, Will, and Carly.

The human formed Autobots scoot into the booths and chairs to wait for their human companions to return with their food. Maggie is the only strangler, she lays the lunch box in front of them and smiles.

"I know," she says proudly, "I'm amazing, and that is for you guys." With that, she turns and jogs after the others, blond ponytail swinging.

Optimus looks around at the other Autobots, who shrug. He reaches out and pulls the lunchbox closer, and after doing an online search on how to open it, he does and finds a neat stack of thirty or so, energon cubes. Optimus can't stop the laugh that comes from him. Shaking his head, he plucks one of the cubes and passes it Arcee to his left, who takes one out and passes it on until all of them are munching on energon cubes.

"The secret is revealed," Will says, being the first to walk up. Ironhide watches as some girls turn to watch as Will walks back, both smile and giggle when he twists his his head to see them. He smiles and sits down.

"They like you," Ironhide points out.

Will shakes his head. "They think the face is handsome. Their teenage girls. There's no way I'd date one."

"Why?" Cliffjumper asks, chewing on an energon cube.

Will gives him a look up. "Age means a lot to humans. Since we only live about a hundred years, the first eighteen of that consist you you being considered a child. Well, I guess first twenty-one, because at eighteen all you get to do is vote, and who gives a flying fuck about that?"

"I, for your information, was ecstatic when I was able to vote," Sam jokes, sitting down next to Bumblebee, leaving a seat open for Carly.

Will rolls his eyes and takes a bite of his beef sandwich. Once he finishes chewing, he says, "You were the only one."

Once Carly and Maggie show up, they all spend their late lunch, while the food court steadily fills up with kids getting out of school, talking about the experience. Getting the Autobots' input about all of this. Their first real human experience. And for the most part, they really liked it, but Optimus was a bit weary of the growing crowd.

Sam takes pity on the hesitant Autobot leader and suggests, "After bathroom breaks, how about we head on home? It's been a long day."

Optimus looks relieved and is the first to agree. "That may be best."

"Okay," Sam stands up with his trash, "I'll be right back."

"I'll go, too," Maggie says, climbing to her feet as well.

The two head off to the trash cans and then to the bathrooms. After Sam finishes his business, he makes his way back to the food court when someone taps him on the shoulder. Sam turns to see Cruser.

"Oh, hey!" Sam says.

"Thank goodness," Cruser says, smiling. "I was hesitant. I wasn't all that sure it was you. Sam, right?"

Sam nods. "Yeah, hey. Um, how is your brother's visit coming along?"

"Good," Cruser says. "Well, as good as having a bratty twin brother can be."

Sam laughs at that. "I'm sorry to hear that. So, what have you been up to for the past... what? Month? Man, has time flown."

Cruser laughs, reaching up to rub his head, black hair as wild as the last time he saw him. Crinkles appear around brown eyes when he laughs. "It sure has. Isn't that weird though?"

"Yeah," Sam says, some movement over Cruser's shoulder catching his attention. A guy in all black is leaning against the wall on the other side of the court. He's looking into the little hall, right at Sam. "What a strange... coincidence..."

"'Coincidence'? Cruser laughs again. "I don't believe in coincidence. I'm more of fate kind of man."

"Are you?" Sam says, distracted. The man tilts his head slightly, still staring at Sam. A horrible feeling twists in the pit of his stomach and Sam's brain flashes back to the Autobot base. Watching in the Central Intelligence building as Optimus projects Wheelie's audio and visual footage of his house being ransacked. Those strange guys with guns. Looking for him. Wearily, Sam says, "Hey, Cruser, I really need to head out, okay? We should switch numbers the next time we see each other."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that would be cool," Cruser says, confused.

"Awesome. Maggie! Come on, we are leaving!" Sam calls when the petite blond steps out of the bathroom. She jumps, looks at Sam with her mouth hanging open, but she must have seen the panic in his eyes because he mouth shuts and she nods, jogging over to him.

"Sure, let's go," she says, sensing the urgency.

Sam grabs the crook of her elbow and leads her off quickly.

"Bye, Cruser!"

"Uh, bye Sam!"

Sam pulls Maggie along with little to no resistance, twisting his neck around to see if that guy is following him. He is, but at a distance. Sam pulls Maggie close and hisses in her ear. "Someone is follow me. Go back to the others, tell them what's happening. I'm going to try to lose them."

"Sam! No, if they're after you, then they'll want you alone!"

"Maggie, listen," Sam says calmly. "I'm going to stay in the mall. Tell Bumblebee to meet me at the west entrance in his alt mode, we're going to need to make a quick get away, okay?"

Maggie shakes her head. "I don't think it's best to separate"

"Maggie, go," Sam says sternly. "I'll stay in public until Bumblebee arrives, okay? Hurry."

"But-"

"Go!" With that, Sam pushes her toward the food court and heads in the opposite direction, making his way toward the west entrance. A familiar adrenaline coursing through his veins, and without a parting look, he disappears into the crowd.


	11. Rationalize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: So sorry for the wait! I know everyone has been waiting patiently for this chapter, so here you go! A little bit of action for you action lovers. :) Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 4,999

Sam lives for the thrill. He knows this now. Yeah, helping out friends is great. Yeah, being part of something so big that you can think back on just try to figure out how exactly you made it through this. Yeah, the Autobots are the best kind of people-people he wouldn't mind spending his free time with. But this is it. These moments of semi-controlled chaos. The moments when he has to think three steps ahead of his opponent. The moments when he has to push himself to take one more step. The moments when his friends and families' faces flash before his eyes and he hears the voices of Autobots long pass, or feel the surge of power in his grip.

Yeah, Sam lives for the thrill of the chase.

The adrenaline pumping through his veins, the roar of his blood in his ears. Even the erratic heartbeat and uneven breaths. The stitch in his side and the cramps in his legs. An ache in his arm from landing on strangely or a pain in his back of chest from being knocked around by a large metal appendage or being thrown into something else. Having to wipe the sweat from his brow and tell himself for the millionth time "maybe you need a haircut" but end up not doing it because boring life gets in the way.

The thrill, the fear, the anticipation at seeing the finish line just a hair's breath away and knowing that it might be false. That the leprechaun happened to booby trap the end of the rainbow. The uncertainty. As it freaks him out now because he has hours to sit there and think but in moments like this, all he can do is move forward. There's no turning back.

It's concluded. Sam is an adrenaline junkie. No normal, sane person would return to the center of the most dangerous, his pressure situations if they weren't. Admittedly, Sam could write it off as being the All Spark wanting to return to the Autobots one way or another, but that probably isn't true. Sam knows he wants to come back every time.

He's said it before, there is the big events; Mission City, Egypt, Chicago, and there is the moments leading into things like that. The back story that no one gives a rip about and that scares Sam a little. The truth hits him so hard in the face that he falters slightly, losing his balance for a split second before he continues to maneuver through the crowd of unsuspecting bystanders.

Sam would be nothing without the Autobots.

Now these people live monotone, expressionless lives, unless they do something about it. They get up, go to work, go home, spend time with friends and family. Have conflict and resolution and rinse, lather, repeat. Different variables, different altercations, different conclusions, but in the end unless you make your life specifically about something or dedicate whole-heartedly to one cause or another and live life to the fullest in every way, shape and form, it's monotone. It's boring.

Sam can see it in their eyes, as he dances through the thickening crowd, as if in slow motion. All the expressions, the All Spark absorbs it all. The smiles, the frowns, the wrinkles between the eyes or around the mouth. The piled on years of stress or a smooth face of a stress free life. The young, the old. The All Spark takes it all in, rationalizes every bit of the information. They're happy, sad, angry, annoyed, content, bored, worried, frightened, etc.

But their eyes. Blues, greens, browns, every color in between. Colored, contact, glasses, plain, nothing can hide the truth in their eyes. They live for this boring, monotone existence. It keeps them stable, grounded. They want the flat line most of the time. Plain and simple. But occationally, Sam will see those eyes, that only a few have, that thirst for the same kind of thrill that Sam does. The Sam kind of basic understanding that this moment might be the last one. And they are perfectly content with that.

Those adrenaline filled eyes. Carly doesn't have those eyes. When the All Spark told him, Sam felt the air leave his gut.

"Watch it, bubby," A man calls angrily when Sam bumps into him.

"Sorry," he calls, not even turning to look as he dips and dodges his way through the crowd.

Sam slows to a fast walk, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. The last thing he needs is for someone to call security and they stall him from getting to Bumblebee, who he knows is probably already waiting for him, shaking on his tires from jitters. There probably isn't much keeping his guardian from busting through the mall to find him. Probably only Optimus, and that won't last long.

Sam quickens his pace a little.

When Sam sees the exit, he twists his neck to look around to see if he's still being followed but he can't see through the thicket of people. Not wanting to be caught standing there dumbly, he turns and dashes to the exit, the hairs on his neck and arms stand on end. Sixth sense tells him that whoever this guys is, he's not far behind Sam, and he's closing in quick.

San's feet feel as if they are weighed down by cinder blocks. He can feel himself slowing down, so slowly and he's barely moving. The weight crawls up his feet and onto his hips and it gets impossibly hard to put one foot in front of the other. Sam gasps for air, trying to force his tired muscles to move, his oxygen deprived brain is starting to overload.

The weight moves its way up to his chest, before settling on his shoulders. Like a physical weight that pulls Sam to fall to the ground, pressing down on him like he's carrying a huge boulder on his back. Pressing down. Down, down, down. Sam has to struggle on his hands and knees to not slam his face into the floor. His arms don't feel weak, it's like gravity is forcing down on him and him alone.

Sam stares at the tile floor, trying to keep his head up. His vision magnifies until he can see ever creak and crevice, every little bubble of air formed in the mold between the tiles. Sam can hear people calling out to him. That's embarrassing. He must have looked like he tripped or something. He feels like he just crumbled like a tower missing all of it's supports. Falling almost completely in his footprints.

Suddenly, Sam's vision darkens, and Sam has to wonder if he's about to pass out, but instead of staying dark and the pressure letting up, he sees flashes of yellow symbols all around him. Getting so close he can't read and then getting so far away it's at the edge of his sight. It pops right back up in his face and is tilted in a weird direction. Then it's repeated over and over. Big small, close far. He can see it in his vision five different ways at one time and it almost pulsates and changes somewhere else.

It's Cybertronian, Sam's befuddled brain tells him, and you know what it says.

And Sam does know. The symbols, they are something that Sam has seen before. Sam won't need someone to translate because it's already been done. The words read: Nothing is merely coincidence. Everything has a purpose.

Sam's heart rate climbs steadily.

The words flash before his eyes, over and over and over again. The words being ingrained into his brain, branded on the tissue. The images' searing onto the backs of his eyelids to the point where he doubts a moment will ever pass that he wont be able to see those symbols with as much clarity as this moment.

Then Sam feels it. His heart slows, speeds, slows then speeds up and somehow somehow, sam knows that he is connected to the other Autobots. Not unlike his dreams, but not with the same amount of assurance that he had whilst dreaming. He knows they're close, the only uncertainty was approximately how close. But there was something about this time that was different than all of the other times. What was it? Was it because Sam was awake when this happened?

Is Sam awake? They are good questions but it's all too much for Sam's befuddled brain to comprehend.

It felt like hours past while the words flash burned their way into his retina but only moments must have past because beyond the flashing words and the faces of the confused bystanders, Sam could see Will shoving them aside, not minding their shouts of protest. He fell to Sam's side and jerked his jaw up to look him in the eye. His lips moved, Will's did, but Sam couldn't hear anything. There was a noise, at the edge of his hearing. Was that Will's voice?

Will grabs Sam's arm and pulls him up to his feet, accepting the younger boy's weight. brushing off the people's concerns around him.

"It's okay, Sam, it's okay."

Was that Will talking to Sam? He couldn't tell. He could barely hear the words, anyway.

They make their way out of the building, leaving the crowd to disperse and talk to their own devices. Sam stumbles a few times, trying to stay on his feet, Will has to wrap an arm around his waist and support the younger man as he pushes the door open, a blast of cool hair brushing Sam's bangs from his warm forehead.

Bumblebee pops open his back seat. All the other Autobots are lined up behind the yellow bot. Will practically shoves the Autobot liaison into the back seat before climbing in behind him. Bumblebee slams the door shut and rockets forward, rubber squealing in response. The other Autobots keep pace easily as Bumblebee leads the convoy effortlessly through the busy streets, ignoring street laws.

Sam lays his warm forehead against the cool back window and closes his eyes, heart finally slowing down and the pressure is released. Sam stares vacantly out the window, watching the words bounce back and forth in his vision.

Sam's heart rate begins to slow to a normal pace, and he knows the connection with the other Autobots is severed, leaving the poor boy to wonder if it had ever been there to begin with. Other than that simple though, Sam's brain is blank. Like that sensory overload from earlier has left his input-output levels at just about unconscious.

As Bumblebee's immediate worry and concern starts to wan, doing multiple scans of Sam, ensuring that he is alright and unharmed, so does his speed. The convoy of Autobots easily adjust to the slowing speed with ease. Sam is in no immediate danger, Bumblebee chants to himself like a mantra which both puts him at ease and worries him more. Bumblebee had to berate himself, one day, one day, of lenience and Sam is put into danger. No, never again. He wasn't going to lose Sam again, not like Egypt.

"Sam?"

Sam blinks slowly from his dim blankness, mind slowly becoming aware. Slow, like it's trudging through mud to get there. He looks over to see a worried faced Will Lennox.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Will asks. "What happened?"

Sam pushes himself away from the window, rubbing his burning eyes, like he hasn't blinked in a while. "That guy. Did you see him?"

"No, I didn't see any mysterious guy. Then again, I wasn't exactly looking for a man in a crowd of people," Will says. "And don't avoid the question."

Sam looks up. "I must have lost him then." His brows furrow, as if worried. "I wonder who he was."

Will is quiet for a moment. "Sam, when I found you..."

"I think the All Spark sent me a message," Sam says, trying to recall. "But I'm not sure I got it. I mean, I saw what it showed... I'm just not all that sure that I understood what I saw."

That earns Sam a raised eyebrow. "And that would be...?"

Sam looks over at Will, a deep concern and worry in those brown depths that make Will tense up. "A message I had already gotten, but it was a little more reinforced, you know, from attacking my brain whilst in the middle of running for my life, because you know, that kind of thing should just happen."

"This isn't funny, Sam," Will says, displeased at my frail attempt at humor.

"Yeah, sorry."

Silence.

"Bee? Are you okay?"

More silence.

"I'm sorry I scared you and the other Autobots," Sam apologizes, gazing at the radio.

Bumblebee doesn't respond right away, but when he does, it's hesitant, "Was... so scared... what if something had happened... to you...?" A pause. "What if... I could not save... you?

"Bee, I'm okay. I'm sorry. I don't know what to say," he admits softly. "Are you mad?"

"No," Bumblebee says. Though he says he's not, something about the sharp way it came out gives Sam the impression that he is, but doesn't want to talk about it for now. Sam lets him have that and backs off.

The rest of the ride back is silent. And tense.

As soon as each of the Autobots were safe behind the gates of their base and away from the prying eyes of humans, they transform into their bipedal modes, circling the small group of humans. Carly runs into Sam's open arms and hugs him tightly.

"I was so scared," she whispers, trembling in his arms.

Sam nods. A bitter taste of annoyance on his tongue. He was the one for his life. Why should she of been scared? She was safely with the rest of the Autobots. But he didn't say any of that. He settled for nodding slowly and kissing her neck softly, hoping it will quench his annoyance. It did, a little.

Maggie hugs him next, so tight she practically squeezes the breath from him.

"Are you okay?" she gasps. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Witwicky, or I'll beat the shit out of you."

All Sam could wheeze out was a soft, "sorry" and hug her equally as tight. The bitter taste finally receding. Will supportively pats Sam on the back, not much for a man of comfort. It was probably the best he was going to get from the military man and he was a little thankful for that.

When Sam was released from the death grip, he turns his gaze upward to the Autobots, all sharing looks with one another overhead. A troubled and confused look marring Optimus's usually composed face.

After a moment or two of the Autobots silently conversing with one another, Optimus kneels down to Sam's eye level and gazes at him, as if trying to see something that isn't there. His metal brow pulls together in concentration. Sam has to shift uncomfortably under the Autobot leader's intense stare for only a few minutes before Optimus blinks slowly and shakes his head.

"It's gone, now."

Sam tilts his head in confusion, wondering if his brain is still befuddled from earlier.

"What is?" he asks.

"While you were in the building..." Optimus pauses, as if trying to keep his thoughts in order. "Something happened. The All Spark spoke to us. All of us."

Sam's eyes widen. "The All Spark. Really? What did it say?"

Optimus looks troubled.

"Perhaps, "spoke" wasn't the correct term," Arcee says quietly, trying to help Optimus. "More like it showed us something."

"...oh?" Sam raises an eyebrow in confusion, almost sure now that his brain is still befuddled.

"We were able to connect with your mind, Sam," Ironhide says. Straightforward as always, Ironhide. "We all saw your thoughts."

"'My thoughts'?" Sam echoes. "Really? That's a little cool."

Cliffjumper makes a look like he's contemplating. "Yeah. Well, maybe. We could feel all of your emotions and see your thoughts."

Sam just stares up at the red Autobot in complete confusion. "Okay...?" As weird as seeing Sam's thoughts is, he can tell that the Autobots are trying to skirt around what's really bothering them. Like what they saw in Sam's thoughts.

"Sam, your fear... it froze my energon all the way to my spark," Bumblebee says softly. Sam has to strain to hear the soft British undertones.

"What does that mean?" Maggie asks, all the humans sharing in on Sam's confusion.

Optimus closes his optics for a moment. "'Nothing is merely coincidence. Everything has a purpose.'" he recites. Something about those soft words chill Sam to the core.

"What was the purpose of that?" Will asks, skeptically.

"I saw the man in your minds eye," Optimus says to Sam. "I was able to run it through human facial recognition software. I got a match."

Sam clears his throat, suddenly worried about what Optimus is going to say next. "And... wh-who was he?"

"His name is Eli Brown. He was previously employed at Sector 7."

"What?" Will, Maggie and Sam all say at once. Carly looks about, confused.

"What's Sector 7?" she asks.

Will ignores her question to ask. "Is there any way that it is merely coincidence?" As soon as the words leave his mouth, he cringes.

"Sector 7 was disbanded six years ago! There is no way they could be behind this," Maggie says, looking around. "Right?"

Sam shakes his head. "No, the All Spark wanted me to see that. To know that this guy used to be in Sector 7. He lost his job because of me, right?"

"His file says he was laid off when the division was disbanded back in 2007," Optimus tells them.

"So, he's pissed," Will rationalizes. "Sam made him loose his job so he was just going to confront him after all these years. I think we might have overreacted here, guys. I mean, sure, we shouldn't let some guy beat the shit out of Sam for ruining his life-"

"Thanks, Will," Sam mutters.

Will continues as if he wasn't interrupted. "But I don't think that he was going to really hurt Sam, especially knowing what's out there in his backyard."

Everyone nods at Will's solid argument. It's true. Simmons wasn't the happiest to see Sam back before Egypt, so why would any of the other people that lost their jobs? Admittedly, Sam hadn't given much thought to the people that lost their jobs. Sure he saw Simmons after the fact, working at a deli but no other people even flittered across his mind and that made Sam feel a little bad.

That most of the Autobots relax, with the exception of Optimus and Bumblebee. Both still look deeply troubled.

"Even if that man, himself was not a threat, there is still the business of the All Spark," Optimus says quietly, as if lost in thought. "I don much like the idea of its random bursts of power."

Bumblebee nods in agreement. "I agree with Optimus," Bumblebee says softly, flinching slightly and reaching up to touch his tender throat.

"That's enough talking for you," Sam says to the yellow Autobot, causing him to snort and wave Sam off dismissively. Then to Optimus, "I understand. We still don't really know what is going on with the All Spark. It is in our best interest to be cautious."

Optimus blinks in surprise at how reasonable Sam was being. Which he can honestly say he didn't think would happen. But it's a pleasant surprise to which Sam knows probably attributes to the excitement that happened today. Now that Sam is on the same boat as Optimus he knows he can relax a little-after Sam sees Ratchet.

When he told Sam, the young man rolls his eyes telling Optimus that he worries too much but the Autobot leader insists. That plus Bumblebee's pleading blue eyes, Sam reluctantly agrees.

"Are you sure your okay?" Maggie asks, unsure.

Sam nods, rubbing the back of his head.

Will slaps the hero on the back and laughs. "Come one, Mags, a little excitement is good for him."

"A little?" Carly gasps. "I would hardly call that a little excitement or even just excitement! That's traumatizing!"

Will shrugs. "I don't think so. Excitement doesn't have to be happiness. Besides, he's fine. Right, Sam?"

Sam nods again. "Yeah, it brings me back." The look on Carly's face made Sam realize what he said. The look was a mix between horror and disgust. Sam quickly adds, "I mean... you know. The adrenaline. The worry and wonder... you know. The experience."

"Samuel Witwicky, you can't honestly say that you are okay with what just happened, can you?" She asks. A look of worry crosses her face, eyebrows pulling together and whispering, "Can you?"

Sam quickly backpedals. "No, I'm not okay with what happened. I mean, sure it was a rush and stuff but it's not like I go out purposely looking for trouble or anything," as Sam said it he had to wonder to himself just how true that was. But he didn't let himself dwell on it. "I get that it's scary and everything, and it is. But there is nothing for me to do but learn from it." And survive it. Sam didn't say that thought. He didn't want to rile Carly up more than she already was.

Sam takes a moment to collect his thoughts before taking Carly's hands. She looks away, angry at him. And he can't really blame her.

"I'm sorry," Sam says.

Maggie lets out a whoosh of air and turns away. Will scratches his cheek, looking like he wants to say something but decides against it. Optimus moves to stand up and tells the other Autobots that they are dismissed for the rest of the day. The majority murmur their goodbyes and head out. Bumblebee stays with Optimus, both looking down at the pair as Sam apologizes over and over again until Carly forgives him.

Optimus looks to Bumblebee and says, "Make sure he sees Ratchet."

The yellow guardian nods and watches the red and blue flamed Autobot retreat to his quarters, probably lost in thought. There is a tenseness in his movements. Bumblebee is going to have to talk to him in private later.

After Carly forgives Sam, they head to the Medbay to see Ratchet, Bumblebee follows faithfully. Ratchet looks troubled when they show up but he refuses to budge when they ask what was wrong. He does a thorough checkup of Sam while the brown haired boy tells the old medic what happened that day. He seemed to be a bit disturbed when Sam mentions while he was running for his life and started to feel heavy. The old Autobot had listened quietly throughout the entire story up to that point.

"Can you explain what you felt more clearly?" He interrupts, checking vitals with a black look on his face.

So Sam explains in depth about how it felt. Like he was carrying lead on his feet and how it seemed to climb up his entire body until it felt like it was resting on his back. Sam had to continuously tell them that he felt fine now, but Ratchet kept insisting that he stay overnight just so the weary medic could be sure. Knowing that Ratchet wasn't really going to give him an option, he begrudgingly agreed and Carly left to get him some pajamas for the night.

Ratchet sent out his holoform, an older man in a white lab coat, to put monitors on Sam's head and chest.

"Is this necessary?" Sam asks, thinking the old medic is just going a bit overboard with all of this, but Ratchet is shaking both his holoform head and his real one.

"It is absolutely necessary, Sam. Your safety and health should always be your first priority. Remember that," he says sternly then mumbles something that sounds strangely like "because none of the Autobots seem to be able to."

Carly returned with some clothes for Sam to change into and with a kiss goodnight, she departs and leaves Sam for the rest of the night in Ratchet's mercy. The Medbay, smells a mixture of the burning smell of anesthetic and the bitter stench of energon. It was also a tad bit cold, and really bright.

Sam has Will retrieve his laptop and starts to catch up on his missing work. There is quite a few emails from Mearing wanting to know about his process on the Autobots' revealing, to which he replied, chippedly, that he is still working on it and he would let her know when he was done. He emailed his parents letting them know that he was doing fine and that Carly gives her regards.

It's around eleven thirty when Ratchet warns Sam that he is going to dim the lights and that he is to be sleeping by the time he finishes looking over Skids' knee in the next room or he is going to destroy Sam's laptop with an EMP blast. Sam wraps up in multiple blankets and tries to fall asleep, laptop safely powered down and under his bed. After about an hour of tossing and turning, he finally drifts to sleep.

Sam dreams of standing on the surface of Cybertron. Watching as the war rages on. He screams and yells for his friends to watch out when a Decepticon gets too close or shoots a missile at them. They can't hear him, it's just a dream, Sam knows that it is, but it doesn't stop him from yelling and screaming in worry and fear. Sam is stuck on this high perch, overlooking the war like Caesar looked over the battles of the Spartans.

He is stuck, paralyzed, unable to move or stop watching the horror around him. Watch as the Autobots try desperately to defend him. Optimus shoots anyone who gets too close and Sam feels safe having the Autobot leader so close, even if he can't hear Sam but this horrible sound of metal crunching and a piercing wail, draws Sam's attention to a small Autobot, too far for Sam to find any distinguishable features be ripped in half by none other than the ever malicious Magatron.

The mere sight of the dead Decepticon brings a shiver to Sam's spine. He has to look away as the black Cybertronian chucks the two halves away as if they were nothing more than trash to him and Sam can't stop his brain from plucking the memory of a bisected Jazz to the forefront of his thoughts.

"Megatron!" Optimus snarls behind his battle mask, bracing himself for the charging Decepticon.

"Hello, Prime," Megatron says with so much venom Sam flinches.

Optimus leaves Sam's side and pulls out his sword to engage Megatron. They slam into each other in a deafening crunch of metal, ignoring the chaos and death around them. Optimus can't afford to look away and Megatron just doesn't care. But the Decepticon does grin nastily in Sam's direction and it makes Sam's stomach drop. Magatron grabs Optimus's sword and hits him in the arm so it drops before Magatron kicks it away.

"Give me the Cube, Prime," Magatron commands, not even waiting for Optimus to respond. He grabs onto the Autobot and bashes his head against the floor and kicks him away. Optimus hits the ground with a loud thud but quickly climbs to his feet and charges, ramming Megatron in the back and toppling both of them. They fall in a heap of tangled limbs not twenty feet from Sam.

"Over my dead body, Megatron," Optimus growls, blue optics narrowed as he manages to shoot Megatron's chest point blank. Megatron lets out a howl of pain, managing to untangle himself from Optimus. Energon pours from a whole in Megatron's chassis.

"That can be arranged!" He roars, charging once again, managing to grab Optimus's arm and spin them around, there is a sickening crack. Sam watches in horror as Megatron yanks Optimus's left from his body. Optimus's cry of pain chills Sam to his core.

"Optimus, no!" Sam screams, jolting up in his bed. His voice echoing in the room for a moment before it falls deathly quiet. Sam has to take a couple of deep gulps of breath to finally start to calm down his frantically beating heart.

Ratchet heard, he had to of, but he didn't come to investigate and for that, Sam is grateful. He wipes the sweat trickling in his eyes and lowers himself back into the damp sheets, trying to calm his erratic breathing.

"A dream," Sam whispers into the darkness, trying not to disturb the silence. Hearing his voice somehow made him feel a bit better. "It was all a dream." With that in mind, Sam turns to his side, looking out of the big windows lining the wall to see the stars. After a few minutes, Sam's breaths deepen and he slips back into slumber, but thankfully, with no dream.


	12. Anger and rage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: So sorry, it's been so long! I've been a busy couple of weeks. So this one was a little hard to write at first but when I finally got to the interesting parts, it just kinda wrote itself. Thank you all so much for your comments and your thoughts, they were the most enjoyable things to read. I love it when you speculate! Thanks so much, please enjoy and let me know what you think!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 5,458
> 
> "Human beings are ultimately nothing but carriers-passageways- for genes. They ride us into the ground like racehorses from generation to generation. Genes don't think about what constitutes good or evil. They don't care whether we are happy or unhappy. We're just means to an end for them. The only thing they think about is what is most efficient for them." ~Haruki Murakami

When Sam first opens his eyes, the dream is hazy in his mind. He spends the first couple of minutes staring silently up at the ceiling, listening to his own breathing, trying to decipher his dream from the night before. It was so crisp and so clear. It had to be a memory, right? Cybertron... it was like what the All Spark had shown him. A warzone filled with death and destruction. A civil war that nearly obliterated an entire race. Or maybe it just feels that way. Either way, Sam knows that whether is was a dream or a memory, the All Spark was behind him seeing it.

Sam doesn't know if he should be concerned about what the All Spark is showing him. Rationality tells him he should. An alien artifact is communicating with him mental, who knows what that's doing to Sam both physically and psychologically? But, Sam can't bring himself to actually be worried. Could that be the work of the All Spark? Someone could go crazy with having thoughts like this constantly going through their head.

The All Spark wins as Sam banishes the worry once more to the back of him mind, the memory or dream along side it.

Sam can hear Ratchet moving about the Medbay. He can hear Mudflap and Skids arguing in the Autobots' side of the Medbay with definite clairity. And even the occasional clunk as one of them hits the other.

"Man, Mudflap, you stupid," Skids was saying.

"No, you stupid. Ya shot me in da face!"

"Accident, bro, accident."

"Tha' was no accident, ya rusty tin can! That friggen hurt!" Mudflap snorts indignant.

"If you two bolt brains don't shut up now, I'm going to accidently meld your traps shut!" Ratchet snaps, turning to walk into Sam's room, pausing at the sight of Sam sitting up in bed with a curious and amused look on his face. Ratchet's shoulders slump. "For the love of Primus, you woke up Sam."

"Sam?" Skids quips, then the sound of him running closer. He appears around the corner and grins. "Hey, it is Sam. Yo, Mudflap jog yo fat ass over here."

"I can't," Mudflap snaps. "Some idiot shot me in the face and my eye is only hanging by a few wires."

Skids makes a confused faces, turning to look back into the room. "Who di' that?"

"You, you moron," Ratchet snaps before Mudflaps can. "Now get out of my way."

Skids obliges, scurring over to Sam to grin down at him. Sam shakes his head then remembers the night before, "How's your knee, Skids?"

Skids grins crookedly. "It feels betta afta a healthy dose of sweet revenge."

Raising an eyebrow Sam says, "Oh yeah? I thought it was an "accident"."

Skids laughs at that, letting out a string of profanities, so loud he didn't hear Mudflap charging into the room and tackling his brother. The two Autobots fall to the ground and roll around. Sam barely gets his lap top from under the bed and makes it a safe distance before the bed gets knocked away. To which Sam manages to narrowly avoid that too.

Sam hears a noise of annoyance and anger and spots the yellow Autobot, battle mask down, charging the two younger twins. Like in Egypt he plucked them both up; Skids by his foot and Mudflap by his helm, and tosses them both towards the big Autobot doors.

"Ow, my face!" Mudflap complains. "No' cool, Bumblebee!"

"Shit, I think I busted something," Skids says, shaking his head briskly.

Bumblebee snarls something in Cybertronian and points down at Sam. When both of the twins open their mouths to protest Bumblebee glares darkly at them and they shut up immediately.

Ratchet, who was standing by the doorway, eyes wide in surprise quietly chastises the twins and sends them on their way. He ignores them as they walk past muttering something about Bumblebee having a tree up his ass, to stare at Sam's loyal guardian. Sam looks between the two, confused. Sure, this isn't the first time, and unfortunately probably not the last either, that Skids and Mudflap almost accidently crushed him, but Sam has never seen Bumblebee act so vicious toward another Autobot like that.

And apparently, by the surprised look on Ratchet's face, neither did he.

"Are you okay, Bumblebee?" Ratchet asks quietly, watching the yellow bot steam. Pacing back in forth as if trying to control his anger.

Bumblebee makes a series of clicking noises.

"I understand," Ratchet says. "They could have really hurt him."

And that was it, Bumblebee's shoulders relaxed and a loud sigh escapes his vents before he walks over to Sam, battle mask sliding back, to kneel before his human charge. He makes a soft whirling noise.

Sam reaches out to touch Bumblebee's vocalizer and the Autobot hums in happiness, as if relieved that Sam's life wasn't prematurely cut short by two rambunctious twins. Sam cocks his head to the left slightly, glancing at Ratchet for an explanation but the Medic shook his head and turned away as if to give them privacy.

"Okay, so my daily quota of almost dying as already been used up, so I should be safe for the rest of the day?" Sam laughs lightly at his own vain attempt at a joke.

Bumblebee tilts his head, mimicking Sam. Then nods, returning to the normal Bumblebee.

"Okay, you two, settle down. Sam," Ratchet projects his holo form, "let's get those off."

Sam turns from Bumblebee so Ratchet could get all those suctiony things off of him. "Give it to be straight, doc. Am I going to die?"

Ratchet snorts, shaking his head. "Hardly. Well, maybe some day," he concedes. Bumblebee yelps. "Oh don't give me that, Bumblebee. You know what I mean. Anyway, I'll look over the data I collected last night and let you know if I find anything of worth."

Sam nods. "Okay, thanks Ratchet."

"Yeah, yeah, off with the two of you." Ratchet's holo form disappears and his Autobot body turns away, arm opening up and showing a human brain and statistics and stuff that the All Spark immediate interrupts as fluctuating power of, well, the All Spark. Sam could sense the irony. Sam had to force his eyes away, not wanting the All Spark to continue analyzing the information. He would rather Ratchet told him, whatever was happening.

Almost as if to retaliate, the All Spark draws the memory of yesterday forward with only one clue. Big blue eyes. Not just any big blue eyes either. They were Carly's. He had gazed lovingly into them enough to recognize them with painful clarity. And anger burned in Sam's chest. Carly wasn't like that. She wouldn't leave. She could handle this, she was strong enough.

As the charge and guardian leave the Medbay, Bumblebee catches as a scowl crosses Sam's face and lets out a light whine but Sam is too deep in thought to notice, laptop held tightly to his hip by white knuckled hands.

"Sam, what is... wrong?" Bumblebee asks through the voices of the radio, feeling a little strange for being the one to ask it this time around.

That makes Sam blink slowly as it pulls him from his thoughts, grip loosening on his laptop. "Huh? What Bee?"

Bumblebee blinks slowly, looking down at the top of his charge's head. "I'm sorry if... I made you... mad."

"Mad? What? No," Sam barks a laugh. More like a burst of air. "I'm not mad at you, Bee. I'm... I'm mad at myself..."

"Why?"

Sam sighs, adjusting his hold on his laptop. "I'm... I guess I'm just stressed is all. But, I did want to talk about earlier. About what happened with Skids and Mudflap." Sam looks up at his guardian to see an unreadable look cross his metal features.

Maybe it was too soon, Sam cringes. He opens his mouth, about to take the words back when Bumblebee spoke, british accent soft, "I was... am... afraid. I've always worried about your safety. You attract a lot of attention. And most of it isn't good. The only place where I know... that I can..." Bumblebee shakes his head, trying to find the words. "I know that you can be protected here..."

"But with Skids and Mudflap rolling around with me near, they could squish me."

Bumblebee nods. "It's not safe for any human when they do that but... I guess I overreacted."

Sam doesn't respond. Bumblebee doesn't need to be hounded about doing what's right. He's got a pretty good moral compass. Sam has to wonder if it's the race, or if it's Optimus's influence, but whatever it is Sam is thankful for it. It feels like there has been a lot that Sam has been thankful for the last couple of years. Now, not saying that that is a bad thing, it's just that there has been one common factor almost every time: the Autobots.

With a small smile on his face, Sam instead says, "You'll figure it out. So, Bee, you've been speaking a lot lately. Is your vocalizer feeling better?-er you know what I mean."

Bumblebee shrugs, shaking his hand in a so-so movement.

Sam mimics him. "This. What is this?"

Bumblebee makes a noise of amusement, shrugging once more. "Is not fixed. Still have to get... the necessary parts."

"Doesn't it hurt to talk with it broken like that?"

Bumblebee considers. "Only... when I do... it too much. I will be... fine until I can... get it fixed!"

Sam rolls his eyes. "Whatever you say." Although he said that, it didn't stop him from actually worrying. He'll have to make a mental note to talk to Ratchet about finding the needed parts to fix Bumblebee. Sam has thoroughly enjoyed hearing Bumblebee's actual voice talking to him more and more over the past few months. At first, he was amusing by playing music to communicate but nothing really beats his real voice.

But enough about that for now. There are more important things that he has to direct his attention to at the present time. Far more pressing matters.

"Hey Bee, over breakfast, can I read you my speech?"

"...and in conclusion, I hope that you will be able to see what amazing people the Cybertronians are as a race, just like I can. Thank you." Sam finishes, glancing up at Bumblebee, bulking at the sight of the look of pain on the yellow Autobot's face. Bumblebee quickly tries to hide it, but it's too late, Sam saw it. "Okay, fine, so public speaking isn't my strong suite and so what if I can't organize my thoughts worth shit, it doesn't mean you have to look like my speech actually brought you physical pain," Sam growls, face flushing in embarrassment.

Bumblebee schools his features, intentionally clearing his throat, looking for an accuse to not speak right away. It doesn't fool Sam and it only causes him to scowl more, cheeks darkening.

"Okay, well, you can just kiss my ass, Bee."

Bumblebee turns away, shoulders hunched close and shaking.

Shaking? Is he laughing?

Sam feels playful anger spark in his chest, so he huffs and turns away. "Yeah, okay. So it really sucked the first time around. Good. That's what practice is fucking about! Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to think of a different way to say all of this and then I'm going to go tell it to someone who isn't a shitty friend. Later, Bee!"

"Wait!" Bumblebee calls out over the radio, still trying to contain his laughter. "Come back. I love you!"

Sam laughs and waves, grinning at the yellow bot over his shoulder. "Bye, Bee!"

Sam sits alone in his office staring at an email he was sending to Mearing about revision of his speech... or at least that was the original plan, but so far he hasn't typed down anything. Does he really want to get criticized by Mearing for something that he is really passionate about? No. Would her advice be invaluable? Well, probably. Could he find someone else to run it by? Most definitely.

All he has to do is make it look and sound good. The perfect speech for the perfect subject, right? The first thing one must keep in mind when they are about to give a speech is to make sure that they are passionate about what they are talking about, right?

Yeah, well, either way, this speech is going to blow the pants off people-especially Bumblebee- and convince them that the Autobots aren't bad. That, in fact, they are the best thing that could happen to society. So, this has to be absolutely perfect. Sam will work his pants off to make that happen. He owes the Autobots that much.

With newfound determination, Sam get's right to work, looking up more creative, informative speeches to get the formats down. Sam rubs his temples as a headache starts to form. Maybe a break is in order, first.

Sam finds Maggie at the Central Intelligence building. She sits in one of the many rows of desks, typing away at her computer. She gives a distracted, "hey" when he sits next to her.

"Anything new?" Sam asks after a couple of minutes of listening to Maggie type away at the codes on her screen.

"Huh? Oh, not really. Just strange radio chatter interfering with outer space transmissions. Nothing new." She shrugs. "I just got to clear up the signal and block these random bits of chatter, isolate the sound and..." she blinks a few times before smiling over at Sam. "You don't care, right?"

Sam smiles guiltily.

"One second." A few more minutes of typing before Maggie finally pushes herself away from her desk and turns to Sam in her wheeled chair. "So, what's new with you?"

"I shared the first draft of my speech with Bee."

"Oh? How did that go?"

Sam grimaces. "It brought him physical pain."

Maggie laughs. "Glen had that exact same issue. Still does! I could help you out if you wanted. Giving speeches never worried me all the much and I usually got pretty good grades in school for them."

Sam brightens. "Really? So, you'd be willing to help?"

Maggie nods. "Sure, but for a price."

"Anything. Name it."

Maggie smiles, tapping her pointer finger to her chin in thought. "Hm. I don't know yet. How about one thing? Anything I ask, no matter how strange. One thing."

"Like?"

"I don't know. Like I accidently kill someone and I need an alibi."

Sam laughs at that. "Okay, deal."

Maggie nods and stares at Sam for a few moments before turning her gaze to her acrylic nails. Sam, sensing that the blond was hiding something asks, what she wants.

"Nothing," Maggie says quickly. She pauses, then straightens up in her chair to look at Sam. "Have you spoken to Carly this morning?"

Sam shakes his head. "No, why?"

Maggie bites down on her thumb nail, staring blankly over Sam's shoulder, as if trying to sort something out in her mind. Sam remembers before picking up Carly the day before, Maggie's anger about them involving Carly in their plans.

"Are you still mad about whatever you were mad about yesterday?"

Maggie blinks, confusion flickering across her face before realization hits and she scowls. "Well, I wasn't but I am now."

"Shit. So what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Maggie says right away but then pauses. Before Sam can insist that she spill, she does, "I don't like Carly."

Sam raises an eyebrow. "No kidding?"

Her scowl turns to him. "Shut up. I mean... I just... don't think that she treats you well is all."

Sam laughs at this. "What in the world are you talking about, Maggie?"

Maggie glares at her black pumps. "I don't know how to explain it. I just don't think she treats you right. I thought the same thing with Mikaela but I didn't say anything because I didn't think it was my place but now..." her eyes flicker up to meet Sam's confused ones. "We are friends, right Sam?"

Sam nods. "Of course." He shifts in his seat, smile gone.

"I get that Carly has been through a lot. I get that. Trust me, I probably wouldn't have handled it nearly as well as she did, but still. It feels like she's lying to you by trying to pretend that everything is okay. You are always fighting when you're at home and now, now you two barely even go talk to each other. It's... it's like you aren't even together anymore and it's not fair to either of you for pretending that something isn't wrong."

Anger swells in Sam's chest and it must have shown on his face because Maggie looks away, almost ashamed.

"I'm sorry, really. I tried not to say anything."

"No, since you have so much to say about my relationship with my girlfriend, keep going. I'm not dillusional. I know Carly was really shaken after what happened in Chicago, but she's strong. Maybe even stronger than me. You have no idea what really happened there. How can you judge her? You... you...!" Sam stands, unable to form words in his anger. Sam's brain shuts down and suddenly all of his anger spilled out in front of him, into his words and more importantly; they flew at Maggie unbiased.

Yes, Sam knew he was yelling at his friend, and he didn't mean to; or maybe he did, but he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. "My relationship with Carly is none of your business, Maggie. I get it, that because we are friends, you can tell me what's up, but this is too far. Carly doesn't deserve this, she has done nothing wrong. You need to mind your own damn business."

Maggie's eyes lower. "I'm sorry, Sam, but think about it. You're up at the crack of dawn working all day. She is at work until late at night. I don't think you've really even said much of anything to her since you guilted her into staying here."

"What?" Sam snaps. "Where do you get off saying something like that?"

Maggie steels herself. "Carly doesn't want to be here, Sam. This isn't her home. This isn't the place she wants to be. She shows it by how much she avoids this place. She doesn't hold love for the Autobots like you do. Hell, no one could love the Autobots as much as you do. Not even Will and Robert and they've been around the Autobots more than you. You're loyalty to them is... well, it's a little much for someone who doesn't feel even remotely like you do." Maggie tried to say it sensitively, but all she did was fuel Sam's anger.

"At least I can be loyal," Sam snarls.

Maggie stares with a mixture of shock and hurt and confusion on her face.

And just like that, Sam's anger diminishes. Maggie was right, he didn't want her to be but she was. This is what the All Spark has been trying to tell him. It will never work out with Carly. But even though the realization came to him, he still had doubts that it was even really himself that came to the conclusion or if it was the All Spark. At this point, Sam can't even begin to tell where his thoughts end and the All Spark's begin.

Sam stubbornly wanted to fight it. Carly could make it through this. She could. He knew she could. He hated that the All Spark and Maggie were both trying to tell him otherwise. It wasn't fair. He just needs to sit down with Carly, really sit down with her, and talk about everything that really happened in Chicago and where they go from there. Sam has tried before but Carly would close up or get angry and stomp away when he would try to bring it up. So they stopped talking about it and, to Sam, Carly seemed to be getting over it.

Was he wrong?

No, she would have told him. She wouldn't have come to live with the Autobots if she still had a problem with them. Right?

Maggie's words ring in his ears. "...I don't think you've really even said much of anything to her since you guilted her into staying here."

Sam didn't guilt Carly into staying. She could have said that she didn't want to. She didn't. Sam tried to think about that day. Wheelie accidently spilling the beans. The flash of anger and fear in Carly's eyes. Sam thought he had been seeing things. What if... what if she was going to tell him that she didn't want to stay when she learned about their house being broken into?

Shame and sadness washes over Sam. He has to look away from the hurt in Maggie's eyes. He should apologize. He really should, but something stops him. Probably his pride or maybe it's shock. Either way; he needs to get away. He needs time to think.

"I...I'm sorry, Maggie. I have to go. I'm not mad at you, I just... I'm sorry." With that Sam quickly retreats from the room and the building, ignoring Maggie when she calls for him to come back. He can't, if he goes back, the anger may return and Maggie doesn't need to be yelled at for trying to be a good friend. In fact, what really made Sam so angry? Maybe it was because he knew all along that this wouldn't work and he's just fighting it.

No, he needs to talk to Carly. This isn't the end. Maybe they can somehow scrounge this. Perhaps salvage what was once a "relationship" between the two of them. Yes, he would do that. That was the least he could do. But not now, sure Carly wasn't here anyway, but Sam still needed to be alone so that he could think. He needs to straighten out his thoughts.

Suddenly, feeling tired, Sam heads back to his office building, but instead of actually heading to his office, he walks up the stairs to the roof and lets the breeze ruffle his hair and cool his warm cheeks. Sam closes the door and walks to the center of the roof, next to the air conditioner and lays down, hands behind his head. Maybe this silence and this thoughtless staring was good for him.

Sam's eyelids grow heavy and slowly dip closed.

Sam is floating through the swirls again. It's been a while since he's had this dream. He can see the glow in the distance. Sam begins to wonder if maybe it's a sun or something. Although that would make any sense. Some of these other swirls have to suns... right? Maybe there is no logic to this place. This is merely a creation by the All Spark, right?

A horizontal slit appears in front of Sam. Before Sam can truly comprehend what it is exactly, it widens and a blue orb stares back. A shocking blue that Sam has looking into almost every day for the past month but has also seen many times in the last few years. It was an Autobot optic.

A string of clicks and clanks smash into Sam's ears, his ear drums rumble and strain trying to absorb the noise. Sam's hands fly up to cover his ears but it doesn't seem to hinder the noise and behind his eyelids very familiar words appear. The same words that were written on the old tablet and then flashing in his brain while he was at the mall yesterday.

But once again, before the actual words could flitter across his mind's eye, his eyes are forced open and he is standing before the All Spark, or what appears to be the shell of the All Spark. It's merely a ball of energy, collecting power from huge metallic hands that disappear into darkness. Inside the All Spark looked like a ball of metal. Before Sam could really get a good look it was gone and Sam was back in the swirly world.

Warmth. Sam felt warmth surrounding him. Like he was held against Bumblebee's chassis in the ice cold and his guardian radiates near scalding heat in order to keep him warm.

Suddenly, Sam is slammed with fear. So hard that it feels like the small human lost all the air in his lungs. Pain hits him next, making him fall to his hands and knees. White hot fear and panic, slamming into his chest like a runaway train. Again and again, Sam is hit with this uncontrollable fear and panic. Sam's limbs looking color and feeling, chest getting heavier and brain cutting low on oxygen.

Oxygen?

Sam can't breath. Why? What's happening? Sam opens his mouth. Nothing. His lungs burn, brain sputters, trying to tell him he's going to die. His limbs lose all feeling and his world begins to darken. But the All Spark is soothing, a warmth beneath his subconscious. You'll be fine, it tells him.

Another wave of panic. Fear. Uncertainty. Hopelessness. And then, like a hot knife to Sam's chest plate. Rage. Unbiased. Unstoppable. Unquenchable rage.

That rage is enough to shock Sam into consciousness. He awakes sputtering and coughing, lungs burning and limbs tingling.

Sam stares blankly at the stars in the sky, trying to clear the haze in his brain. Trying to figure out what had just happened. Then he heard it.

"Sam? Sam, where are you?"

"Mr. Witwicky?"

"Sam?"

"Sam!"

The Autobot liaison struggles to sit up, limbs burning, like they all fell sleep. Sam's mouth is dry when he opens it to call out to whomever is calling to him. A strange horse noise escapes him instead. Sam has to swallow a few times before saliva finally fills his mouth, his throat tightens and he has to slow his racing heart and breathing before he finally pulls himself to his feet, ignoring the pins and needles, and stumble to the door. His numb fingers refuse to grip the knob so he turns to the edge of the building and heads over there.

As he nears the edge, he can see Autobots walking around in the distance, some running, some jogging. He can see lots of flashlights and his name being called in the distance. They were looking for him? Oh man, how long had he been asleep? They probably couldn't find him and thought that something had happened to him. Sam can just imagine how made Bumblebee is going to be when he hears that Sam fell asleep on the roof.

Sam flinches when he touches the ledge with his bare hand and pain shoots up his arm. He tries to wiggle his fingers and toes, trying to get the blood to flow back into them. Slowly but surely, the feeling returns.

Once Sam could actually move his tongue, he tries to speak and it comes out as some gargled mess. It didn't even sound human to Sam. Not like it sounded like Cybertronian either. Sam doesn't think he could replicate Cybertronian even if he dedicated the rest of his life to learning it. Sam has to shake the thoughts away and focus on trying again. This time something, with the semblance of English comes out, but it still sounds strange to Sam's ears. What is happening?

He tries to call out to Bumblebee, he can see the vague yellow paint in the moonlight. As if to discourage him, clouds block the moon. Still the noise is hoarse and strange.

Fear envelopes Sam but he quickly stomps it down. He has to let Bumblebee know he's okay. Know he's safe. He can practically see the panic in his erratic movements. All of the Autobots, actually. And the NEST soldiers are running around with flashlights and calling out to him.

One last time, Sam licks his lips and as loud as he can he yells out, "Bumblebee!" And his voice echoes, swallowing up in the darkness. But it was enough. The Autobots stiffen and immediately start spinning around, trying to locate the sound. Sam raises his hands over his head and waves them, calling out once more for his guardian and this time, Bumblebee spots him.

The yellow Autobot races toward Sam, making it to him in just a few seconds. Sam took a few steps back, worried the Autobot wouldn't stop and crash into the building. But he did stop, he got right up to the building and scooped Sam up into his hand and started scanning him, checking for injuries, squawking in distress, he holds Sam close to his chassis.

"Where...? Where...?" Bumblebee tries to ask but is too overwhelmed to complete the sentence.

"Let me see him, Bumblebee," Ratchet commands. Instead of obeying however, Bumblebee turns away from Ratchet, as if worried that he would yank his human away from him.

"I won't take him away," Ratchet says softly, as if dealing with a wounded animal, reminding Sam about earlier that day when Bumblebee almost ripped Skids and Mudflap into pieces. "I just need to see him enough to scan him. I can't scan him through you."

Bumblebee still hesitates which confuses Sam's still partially befuddled mind. But, the yellow Autobot finally decides that it is in his and Sam's best interest to let Ratchet see Sam and turns to he can. Ratchet reaches out to move Bumblebee's thumb out of the way, but otherwise makes no motion for Sam. A bunch of different scanners run over Sam's body is silence.

"Is he okay, Ratchet?" Optimus asks, somewhere behind Bumblebee to where Sam can't see him.

Ratchet's arm opens up and he looks at the stats in front of him, not answering right away. But Sam knew the answer before Ratchet said anything, the All Spark told him.

"Nothing," Ratchet finally says, glancing away from his arm to Optimus. "There is nothing wrong with him. Blood pressure is a little high but other than that; nothing."

"How can that be?" Optimus asks, perplexed.

Ratchet looks at Sam and shakes his head. "I haven't the slightest clue. Sam, what happened?"

"I just fell asleep on the roof, guys. Nothing to freak out over." Sam attempts to laugh but no one joins him and so he sputters into silence.

"Who scanned this roof?" Optimus asks, looking over at the other Autobots.

Sideswipe steps forward. "I did, Optimus. I did not get a reading from him. He..." Sideswipe falters, not knowing what to say. "I guess, maybe I didn't do a thorough enough job..."

"Let me take a look at your scanners," Ratchet says, walking over the silver Autobot. Sideswipe deactivates his firewalls so Ratchet can access his scanners and activates them. After a quick scan, he finds no issues.

"Perhaps a glitch," Ratchet says to Optimus. "I can see nothing wrong with him."

Optimus hums in uncertainty, stepping into Sam's line of sight. Surprisingly, Bumblebee doesn't try to shield Sam from Optimus as he had done with Ratchet. Maybe the yellow bot was finally relaxing again.

"Are you alright, Sam?" Optimus asks, blue eyes filled with worry and Sam blinks at them, remembering the eyes from his dream. He quickly shakes the thoughts away.

"Yeah, fine. I slept weird, though. My arms and legs were asleep, other than that, I'm fine, like I said." But even as Sam said the words, something in him told him that this wasn't normal. That he wasn't okay. That he won't be ever again.

And this thing was the All Spark.


	13. Try to pretend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Okay, thanks everyone! Sorry for the wait! I am currently on break for Christmas and thought my readers deserved an early gift! I will try to get another one up before I have to return to school! Thanks everyone for the comments. I know the beginning is pretty fast but that was done for a reason, one the will be explained later. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 5,347
> 
> "If there's any interaction between genes and languages, it is often languages that influence genes, since linguistic differences between populations lessen the chance of genetic exchange between them." ~ Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza

After the entire ordeal Sam's brain refused to do anything but shut down. He remembers being laid down gently by Bee only to be enveloped in a tight, suffocating hug by Carly. He remembers being unable to look into her tear filled eyes. Too many thoughts about him practically holding her in the Autobot base against her will. Sure she could leave for work and stuff but did she see it that way or was this place a prison to her?

Tomorrow, he had promised himself. Tomorrow they will sit down and talk.

Sam remembers holding Carly in his arms that night and whispering sorry into her ear, over and over again. Sorry for accidentally falling asleep on the roof. Sorry for involving you in this whole Autobot vs. Decepticon thing. Sorry for not being a better man. Sorry for not being strong enough to put your needs first. There wasn't really an explanation. There wasn't even really discussion. After about the hundredth time saying that he was sorry, Carly kissed his cheek softly and nuzzled close and whispered, "I know."

That morning, both Carly and Sam got up together and took turns in the shower. They brushed their teeth next to each other, but in silence. Carly did her hair and make-up while Sam brushed his hair and looked up emails on his phone. Brains and Wheelie didn't come home with them last night, Ironhide mumbled something to them about being needed in the Central Intelligence lab all night, but Sam knew the real reason.

Carly packed her bags and turned to leave.

There wasn't a fight. There wasn't a discussion. There wasn't an attempt to try and fix what they had. Carly couldn't do it. She wasn't that strong, despite all that Sam had hoped. But there was one thing. There was a goodbye.

"I love you," he says quietly, holding her close, inhaling her scent, committing it to memory.

She holds him back equally as tight. "And I love you too."

They sit there for a few minutes, holding each other. Mourning what they once had, but knowing that it would never come back. A part of Sam still wants to sit down and see if they can talk through everything, see if they can find a different resolution, but he could see it in her eyes. Carly was tired. She was tired of the fear and the unknown.

Sam understood, but it didn't mean he liked it any more.

"Stay at a motel for a while," Sam says quietly. "Let me know when you find a different apartment. It's not safe to return to ours. Just send me the bill for the first and last month rent." Carly pulls back to argue but Sam shakes his head. "I'm the reason you can't go home. Please."

Carly reluctantly agrees and that was it. Sam watches as she pulls away, toward the gate and out of Sam's life forever. Sam stood there for a long time, just thinking back to all of the wonderful and maybe not so wonderful moments they shared. After each memory is finished, he banishes it from his memory with a goodbye. Maybe he stood there for an hour or so, but it was beginning to get cold out and the chill of his skin alerted him of his overexposure to the wind.

With a single backward glance, wishing that she would just come back but not seeing her, before going back into his house, now bigger and more quiet without Carly, closing the door on Carly and all chances of living a normal life.

Sam spent the next couple of hours trying to forget Carly and focus on work. There is still a lot riding on him, no time for a broken heart. He keeps trying to tell himself that it doesn't hurt so much. That he should of expected that this would be the outcome, maybe he is naive for thinking there was a different way for this to end, but he is still surprised, and still a little shocked.

What is he going to do without Carly?

Probably the same thing he did after he lost Mikaela: mourn, think about what went wrong and how to improve, and then move on. He can be happy if it makes Carly feel better. Well, to be honest, he is a little bitter. Why couldn't she be strong enough? Was it him? What made being with him so difficult? Was there really anything that he could do to prevent this from happening again?

Keeping in mind that Carly has only been Sam's second girlfriend.

But Sam isn't the type of guy who wants to have a bunch of girlfriends. Call him a hopeless romantic but he just wants to find that special someone that he is going to spend the rest of his life with and do just that. Is that just wishful thinking? Sam sure hoped not.

"I can't stay here," Sam says aloud, looking around the room. He can still feel Carly's presence. Maybe it's a good thing they aren't at home. It would have been much worse. So much harder to bare.

Sam tosses his blackberry onto the bed and roughly runs a hand through his hair. Mearing just emailed him saying that he's run out of time. In two day's time, he needs to give his speech. All the news and media outlets are going to be there. This is the big moment. This will either make or break everything that Sam has been working for for so long.

Sam needs to get the speech perfect, but there was also something else that he is missing. Sure, Bumblebee cringed at Sam's speech but he might be able to somehow get around that... hopefully.

The next thing Sam knows, he's on his way to the Autobots hanger with the intent to... maybe... well, Sam doesn't really know what he's going there for. All he knows is that he wants to see Bumblebee. His poor best friend has been getting the shit end of the deal for the past month and with all the drama from the last couple of weeks has only opened this ridge between them. Sam just lost Carly, he doesn't even want to begin to worry about losing Bumblebee.

Sam thought it would be impossibly hard to live without Miles, but when he went to college and... hasn't even attempted to get into contact with his strange childhood friend. Then after he broke it off with Mikaela, it was a bit out of resentment, but he didn't seek her out to speak again. Then all through college, he befriended his roommate Leo and they kept their friendship strong until graduation but even then Leo slipped away. Sam is still friends with Maggie, but that was when he saw her once every couple years and talk to her a hand full of times in between. Will is one of those guys that Sam can talk to whenever. Pick up where they left out last time they saw each other no matter the amount of time in between. Now, Carly is gone. Will she be forgotten or left behind too?

And then there was Bumblebee. He hasn't been around since Sam's childhood but Bumblebee is the only one that comes back regularly. No matter how long it's been, Bumblebee rushes back to see Sam and he always looks so happy when he does. Sam has no delusions that Bumblebee has really been his best friend since Mission City. Maybe since before that. Bumblebee hardly knew Sam but he was trying to get Sam together with Mikaela. A friend does that.

Sam and Bumblebee don't fight. Sure, little arguments here and there, but at the end of the day, they always look out for each other.

Sam walks up to the big Autobots door, trying to clear his thoughts up when something catches his attention.

"So, I guess I'm going to have to be the one to say this," Ratchet says. "Has anyone else noticed how he has changed? Bee, have you noticed how you changed?"

Silence. Sam shuffles a bit. He really shouldn't be ease dropping but for some reason, he can't get his feet to move. In fact, it almost feels like his ears are straining to hear more clearly.

"Take that as a yes," Prowl says. "This isn't like you at all, Bumblebee."

"Do you have something you want to tell us?" Optimus asks.

A soft noise. The sound of Bumblebee shifting uncomfortably. "I... get so scared."

"Everyone does," Optimus says. "There is no shame in that."

Bumblebee makes a negative noise. "It's not shame that I'm mad about. It's just that... I don't know what to do with myself. I'm anxious and jittery all the time. It's like I'm waiting for something to happen. I just don't know what."

"And yesterday morning?" Ratchet asked.

"They could have killed Sam!" Bumblebee says sharply, then makes a noise of pain, quieting down. "I'm sorry I over reacted."

Someone shifts.

"What happened yesterday morning?" Optimus asks.

A moment of silence. Another.

"Tell them, Bumblebee."

Bumblebee sighs. "Skids and Mudflap were wrestling around Sam and they nearly flattened him. I just got really mad and chewed them out. It's nothing big."

"Oh really?" Prowl says. "Clearly it was more than that or Ratchet wouldn't have brought it up. As normal as you might think it is, you are not an angry bot. In all the years I've known you, anger is not in your programming."

"Everyone gets angry," Bumblebee defends himself. "As Sam's guardian I have to protect him. This isn't the first time that Skids and Mudflap have been inches away from cutting Sam's already short life shorter."

Optimus sighs. "Those rambunctious twins have been known for breaking things and endangering the lives of our friends in NEST. I fear we have to pull them aside and ensure they know what they are being more careful."

"Agreed," says Bumblebee.

There is a long silence that Ratchet breaks. "And last night?"

"What? What happened last night?" Bumblebee asks.

Silence. "I was scared, okay? I wasn't thinking clearly."

"We were all scared, Bumblebee," Ratchet says. "But you were more scared. Do you know why?"

Bumblebee doesn't respond. There is a long stretch of silence.

"What?" Prowl asks. "What's wrong?" A pause. "No. Bumblebee..."

"Sam..." Optimus says softly and Sam freezes, breath catching. Was he caught? "Does he suspect?"

"No!" Bumblebee says sharply, then makes a noise of pain. The sound of metal running against metal. "You can't tell him."

"We really need to find the pieces to fix your vocalizer," Prowl says. "This has gone on for too long."

Someone shifts.

"Bumblebee," Optimus says softly. "You have to calm down. Don't strain yourself anymore than you already are. You are so wound up because you're trying so hard to hide it. Sam is a smart, sweet boy. He will not be mad at you."

Bumblebee lets out a tiny whimper that breaks Sam's heart. "But what if he does? No, Sam would never hate me. Sam is too nice for that. But it's different here on Earth. Humans aren't as accepting as we are."

"Technically, only Sam is male. We are not restricted to gender," Prowl supplies.

"True but in all case and purposes, Bumblebee is seen as a male in their society," Ratchet says. "He has male reflections in his voice and even uses a male's voice to communicate."

"You have to tell him," Prowl says. "Sam is our liaison to the American government and soon, the entire world as a race. A target is going to be put on his head, bigger than the one that is already there. We need everyone to be level headed about this."

"Prowl is right and wrong," Optimus says. "Sam should know, because it pertains to him but we also run the risk of Sam being distracted when he must be at his most focused."

Sam lets out a small breath of air, trying to wrap his mind around this. Okay, so Bumblebee is upset because of something about Sam. What about Sam is it? And what does Sam being a male have to do with...? Sam's eyes widen in horror and confusion. Bumblebee is in love with him? How in the world can that be? Where? When did this happen? Why now? What the hell?

Sam is pulled out of his mini internal tirade when Bumblebee says, "I noticed it after Chicago. I always knew I loved Sam, but... I thought that maybe it was just my protective instincts... but when Carly came into Sam's life, I tried to tell myself that I should be happy that Sam has found a potential mate, just like with Mikaela. Then after Chicago happened... I was... happy when Sam would come out to see me and rant and rave about Carly. How sick is that? My spark burns with anger whenever she's near but I could never say anything. There was no way I was going to put myself between them. It's... steadily getting harder."

"Bumblebee," Ratchet says softly. "Is Sam your sparkmate?"

"I don't know," Bumblebee says brokenly. "I don't know how that's possible. He doesn't even have a spark."

"Actually," Optimus interjects, "he does."

Sam's breath comes out thinly, scared that they will hear him if he breaths too loudly.

"The All Spark," all four Autobots say at once.

Sam's heart pounds in his ears and the All Spark warms his body and a foreign feeling of happiness washes over Sam. Disgust follows closely after. Sam just broke up with his girlfriend, he shouldn't be feeling this right now. Especially for Bee! That's his best friend. His alien best friend. His alien male best friend. This isn't one of those sitcoms where the friend makes it out of the friendzone and becomes the boy/girlfriend of their desired person. This is the real life and the real life doesn't let things like this work out.

What compelled Sam to stay rooted disappears and Sam's legs ache from being locked in place. Could the All Spark be the one that did that? Sam felt horrified that the All Spark made him stay here, listen in on a very personal conversation about him, but most of all, he hated to hear the raw pain and fear in Bumblebee's voice. He is afraid that Sam is going to reject him, and honestly, a part of Sam really wants to. This isn't normal. Sam isn't gay. He's never had a gay thought in his life. He doesn't look at guys or imagine guys when he's having "Sam's happy time". No, it's always been girls. Girls like Carly and Mikaela.

Sam can't stay here, he can't be caught listening in. Bumblebee doesn't seem to be in a hurry to tell Sam, so he's not going to deal with it now. Or hopefully, ever. But for now, Sam needs his best friend, and maybe it's selfish because it's almost like playing with Bumblebee's feelings, but Sam really needs him. Sam is not going to let what he heard today slip into their friendship. No, he's going to pretend that the last ten minutes didn't even happen.

Taking a few steps back, Sam takes a breath to mentally prepare himself and then march forward.

"Bumblebee-?" Sam pretends to be surprise to round the corner and see the four Autobots huddled together. They all jump when they hear him. Any other day and situation and this might have been humourous. Giant, ass kicking robots being startled by 130 pound boy.

"Sam." Optimus turns stiffly, as if he were the one that let out a dirty little secret. "Good morning, I hope you... rested well."

Sam laughs dryly, and that's not an act. "I... uh, yeah. Thanks. So... Carly's gone. For good, I think." Sam flinches at the terse way the words came out.

Bumblebee looks genuinely sadden by that and Sam feels affection swell up in his heart. Of course Bee would be sad that his completion was gone, because Sam was sad and that's the type of... guy that Bee is. And Sam loves him because of that. He just... doesn't think it's in the way that Bee might want it.

"I am... sorry to hear about that," Optimus says softly, clearly not too comfortable about this entire situation, which gets him a strange look from Ratchet.

"I don't really want to think about it," Sam admits softly. He looks down at his sneakers. It seems like there is an awful lot going on around here that Sam would rather not talk about. "I actually want to see if Bee would want to go on a ride with me for a few hours, but if he's busy..."

Bumblebee looks at Optimus, blinking fast, making a few clicking noises. Optimus nods.

"Go, we can handle everything here." Bumblebee nods quickly and transforms into his alt mode, as if there was a chance Optimus would change his him at the last second. Sam has to stop himself from over analyzing Bumblebee's every move. Was he relieved when it seemed like Sam hadn't heard anything? Was he pleading with Optimus to let him go? Did he transform just a little too eagerly? But no, the thoughts kept coming and it was getting harder for Sam to shake the feeling that maybe it wasn't really him that was over analyzing, but the All Spark.

Sam walks around Bumblebee to his driver side. Before climbing in, he looks up at the three remaining Autobots. "I have my phone so call me if you need me. That, and I'll stick close to Bee."

All three heads bob, a tenseness in their posture, as if they were still worried that Sam had overheard their conversation-which he had, but there was no way he was going to tell them. At least not yet, while he still had a lot he had to think about. Optimus was right, Sam has to focus on other matters that don't concern a possible extraterrestrial relation.

Bumblebee and Sam were able to escape the confines of the base in minutes, where the yellow Autobot took over and just drove in one direction. No particular direction, only taking respective turns when it called for it, but otherwise just heading one way. Sam didn't even ask which way that was, because Sam didn't care. Bumblebee plays any kind of music that suits his taste and Sam's. No words passed between them and they were both fine with that. They could just relax in each other's presence.

Sam turns his face to look out the window and watch the buildings turn into open landscapes, as his mind drifts off. Sam holds onto the steering wheel to at least give the illusion that he is driving should anyone happen to look in through the windows for whatever reason. Sam is barely aware of all the subtle shifts in the wheel as Bumblebee adjusts himself on the road.

Sam thinks about a lot of things. He thinks about his speech; how he's going to present it, how he's going to format it, what elements is he going to use to appease the crowd, and what that possible last thing could be. Sam also wonders about himself and the All Spark. He thinks about all the dreams it's giving him and all of the little things that it has been doing more and more of while he's awake and ultimately how it lead to Carly and him breaking up and, against his will, bringing his mind to Bumblebee.

Which is exactly where he doesn't want his mind to be traveling.

Bumblebee is his best friend, has been for years. There has got to be some opposing force that isn't going to allow that to change. All of those movies where one friend loves the other but the other has no clue what's going on but eventually they fall in love because both of them realize that they were meant to be together from the very beginning, despite their differences. And in this case there are so many differences. But then there were books were the best friends start to date and it ruins their friendship. In every one of them, movie or book, they promise it wont ruin their friendship-but it does. It's never the same after that. Never.

So, yeah, there is going to have to be a lot of met circumstances that is going to make Sam even consider the possibility of being more than just best friends with Bumblebee.

The sound of Sam's phone ringing pulls him from his thoughts. Pulling out his phone, without looking at the caller ID, he picks up with a simple greeting of, "Hello?"

"Sam, hey, it's Will. I have an issue back here that I thought I could handle on my own... but upon further investigation I need your stamp of approval before I can do anything."

Sam's brows pull together. "What's up, Will?"

Will hesitates. "Ehh... it might be a cause of security breach, which just so happens to be out of my jusidiction."

"Bumblebee, we got to double time it home," Sam says to the Autobot, straightening up in his seat. Bumblebee makes whirling noise in confirmation. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah," Will says immediately, "everyone is fine. I just... I think you need to see it in person to fully grasp what all of this means."

"Okay," Sam says wearily. "We are on our way back now. Don't do anything before I get there."

"Right. See you soon."

When Sam and Bumblebee pulled into the base, Will, Optimus and Ratchet are there to greet them. Bumblebee transforms and tilts his head at a troubled looking Ratchet and Optimus.

"Sam, come on, this way. They are in the Autobot hanger," Will says, waving them to follow. "Ironhide and Prowl are looking after them."

"Enemies?" Sam asks, then horrified. "Decepticons?"

Will falters, eyebrows pulled together, he looks back at Sam. "They might as well have been considering how hostile Prowl has been." Which means their friendlies. And their probably near the top of Prowl's shit list.

Will and Sam steady jog to the Autobot hander while the three Autobots follow close behind. Sam would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised to see Prowl and Ironhide both glaring at First Aid and Jacobs. The two under scrutiny flinch at the sight of Sam... or maybe it was Optimus, Ratchet and Bumblebee behind him. Either way, the two of them share a hopeless look before looking back at Sam.

"We are really sorry, Mr. Witwicky," Jacobs says when Sam stops in front of him and First Aid.

"We didn't th-think it was wrong," First Aid says softly, looking down at Sam like the small human was the one that was over twenty feet tall.

Sam scratches the back of his head. "What happened? Tell me what you got in trouble for."

Jacobs' eyes flicker to Will behind Sam but Sam moves in front of his wandering eyes. "I'm asking, not Will." Jacobs blinks a few times before looking away. Sam looks up at First Aid. "How about it, First Aid?"

Said Autobot flinches at being singled out. "W-we... we weren't going to show anyone." When Sam gives him a 'go on' motion, he complies, "We have been video taping the one goings of the base for a little while n-now..."

Sam stares blankly, not sure if he heard right. "What did you say?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I wasn't going to do anything bad with them. You gotta believe me. We were just keeping them as mementos, you know. For us to look back at and laugh about.

Sam blinks slowly, dropping his hand to his side. "You... you have been video taping the on goings of this base... for what?"

Neither Jacobs nor First Aid seem to know how to respond, so they didn't. They just stared at Sam, First Aid trembling in fear and Jacobs wringing his hands nervously.

"Wait, you said a while, how long is a while?" Sam asks.

Jacobs doesn't look Sam in the eye. "Not too long..."

"Numbers, Jacobs," Will commands. "Days? Weeks? What?"

Jacobs clears his throat nervously. "Um... since.. around the time I joined up. So... about 3 or 4 years..."

Sam's jaw drops. "And we are just now catching you?"

Jacobs shrugs, looking bashful, then solemn when Will shoots him a dark look.

Sam rubs his temples, trying to wrap his mind around this. How in the world was this kid able to get away with filming this base for 3 or 4 years? How is that even possible? Shouldn't there be like bunk checks and stuff for this?

"Flashdrive," Jacobs says, as if he could read Sam's thoughts.

Sam shakes his head. "And how many of those do you have?"

Looking embarrassed, Jacobs says, "A lot, sir."

"Sam," Optimus says, pulling an astonished faced Sam's attention away from the two guilty partners in crime to the Autobot leader. "As this is a case for your human's national security, you may punish First Aid as you see fit, but do know that there will not be a repeat of this event. Ratchet, as First Aid's mentor must also take some of the responsibility."

Ratchet nods. "Yes, Sam. I ask that you give both of us the most fair and just punishment as you see fit. I apologize on behalf of my foolish apprentice."

First Aid looks horror struck by those words. "No, p-please, Ratchet. I'm so sorry. Please-"

"Silence, boy," Ratchet snaps. "Doing something like this could very well get Sam to lose his job. It is not me that your actions will directly ruin." First Aid looks utterly ashamed by that.

Sam feels his heartstrings pull in pity for the young Autobot. There really is no definite law that would tell First Aid that what he did was like... uber against the rules. It should be common sense to Jacobs, but how was First Aid to know?

Sam rubs the back of his neck. "You do realize you put everyone in this base in jeopardy, right?" Both of them nod solemnly. "If this would have somehow leaked out, you could have gotten all of us killed. The wrong people could have found the Autobot base of operations, whether it be Decepticon or human. You could have put NEST operatives'' families in danger, so on and so forth. Who cares if I lose my job if everyone dies?" Jacobs makes a face while First Aid jumps and makes a soft whine. "I know this might seem over dramatic but I'm serious. The more someone knows about someone else, the more they know how to destroy them. If you have something on their about an Autobot's spark being like it's heart..." Sam trials off knowing full well that both of them can fill in the blank.

"I am so s-sorry, Sam," First Aid whimpers. "I-I-I thought that it would be a nice g-g-gift for everyone to see all of the g-good things that g-go on a-at the base..."

"People aren't going to see an Autobot helping carry heavy boxes for the NEST soldiers, or a top notch Autobot field medic healing broken bones for humans. They are going to see weapons coming out of their arms and accidently knocking over walls by accidently falling into them. Do you understand what could have happened if you had accidently let these flashdrives fall into the wrong hands?" Sam asks, eyebrows pulled together. Both nod, looking pitiful.

Sam stares them for a moment longer before turning to the five other Autobots and Will. "Will, confiscate all of those flashdrives and get them to my office." The dark haired man nods. Sam looks back at the two guilty partners in crime. "For now, the two of you are going to be under surveillance. All of your freedoms are going to be stripped from you for the next two weeks. Until we are sure that a threat has been averted, neither of you are allowed out of this base unless under the most dire circumstances or given express permission from me or Optimus, understood?" The two nod solemnly.

Sam looks over at Ratchet, considering. "I have to punish you too?" Sam asks, not at all liking the idea.

Ratchet nods solemnly. "He is my apprentice. I should have been monitoring him more closely. I know that it is not something accustom to your people but it is for ours. Anything you see as fit, Sam, I will accept."

Sam rubs his face, tiredly. He's not a very strict person. He'll probably yield and let the two off early if he thinks they've suffered enough, which will probably be tomorrow. Sam is a little mad that they accidently put this entire base at risk, a little part of him takes pleasure in knowing that it wasn't just his reign that this has happened in but Ratchet is completely innocent party. But he said that it is a custom of their people and it would be disrespectful to disregard that.

"Um... for the duration of both Corprol Jacobs and First Aid's punishment... Ratchet..." Sam squints at the old bot, trying to think of something that Ratchet would consider as punishment but not really a punishment... Then it hits Sam. "The two will be under your care, Ratchet. You will have to keep them both with you in the Medbay. Ensure that Jacobs gets to his posts and First Aid gets all of his work done as well. Them slacking off will be on you." It didn't seem like much of a punishment to Sam, but by the look of horror that passed over Ratchet's face, he knew he didn't insult the old Bot.

"Ye...yes, Sam," Ratchet says grumpily. "Very well."

Optimus's face turns a tad bit sympathetic toward his old friend and appreciative to Sam. Not a harsh punishment, Sam could see in his eyes. A fair one. That was all Optimus asked for. Sam feels a warmth pass through him and he can't help but believe that it was the work of the All Spark. Again.

"Any objections?" Sam asks. No one speaks up, just shakes of the head. "Okay, Will get those flash drives on my desk ASAP."

"Right. Yes, sir."

Sam glances back at the sorrowful look of both First Aid and Jacobs. Feeling like he has to say something, he does, "I know you two didn't mean to do it maliciously. I just got to make sure nothing got out accidently, okay? Bare with it, everything will be back to normal soon." Jacobs seems surprised by Sam's words while First Aid looks relieved that Sam isn't mad at him.

With that, Sam give them a little wave and heads out, Bumblebee at his heels.


	14. Last step

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Sorry for the wait! School just started up again so I needed to get my affairs in order. Thank you all for the comments! I love them! I love your speculations and thoughts on what's going to happen next! It's a little bit shorter than the last, but the time will be soon. Next chapter will be the speech! This is just final preparation. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 5,053
> 
> "Oral myths are closer to the genetic conclusions than the often ambiguous scientific evidence of archaeology." ~Bryan Sykes

"I hate you," Sam whispers.

The swirls whirl around him unbiased. Not at all affected by his words, like he hadn't even spoken at all. Like his soft words weren't strong enough to penetrate the silence. He waits, wondering if whatever is out there now-the All Spark- could hear him. Instead of a verbal response, Sam feels the beat of the sparks of his Autobot friends pulsate the world around him like a synchronized earthquake.

"No," Sam snaps. "Why did you do this? Bumblebee and I had a good thing going! Why did you have to ruin it?"

Still no response. Why did Sam expect any different? All Sam gets is hunches and feelings. No definite words from the All Spark. At least, not usually. There was that one and only time the All Spark showed him that weathered rock and gave him that cryptic message about the Return, which Optimus didn't seem too concerned about, and that nothing is coincidence. Which Sam is starting to wonder if he's getting paranoid over it.

No, Sam has to stop thinking about all this other stuff. He has to focus on the reveal of the Autobots. Look, even in his dreams he is thinking about this reveal. Good lord, what is Sam going to do with himself after this is over? How is Sam going to ever adjust to whatever ends up happening?

Sam blinks when he realizes he's staring at a giant piece of glass. The edges are jagged and sharp, like it broke off of an even larger mirror. But instead of seeing Sam's reflection in the mirror shard, it's cloudy. Sam runs his hand across the cool, smooth surface, trying to wipe away the cloud but it's not on the glass, it's the reflection.

A moment later the clouds part and Sam blinks when he sees himself standing in front of Bumblebee. The yellow Autobot is knelt in front of Sam and he sees himself touching Bumblebee's vocalizer. There's snow on the ground. This is just one of the many times Sam has come to spend time with Bumblebee at the Autobot base. Carly isn't with him but Wheelie is on his shoulder, saying something to Sideswipe that was nice enough to pick up Sam and bring him to the base because Bumblebee was away.

Sam can see Bumblebee practically bouncing in excitement. Sam watches himself smile up at his best friend, a smile that brings crinkles around his eyes and breath coming out in misty puffs as he laughs at Bumblebee's childish behavior but Sam remembers, deep inside, that he was so happy Bumblebee was so excited to see him. Like Sam was the most important thing to him.

"Is Sam your sparkmate?" Ratchet's voice echos in the swirling space.

"...not like you..."

"...doesn't have a spark..."

"Sam is a smart, sweet boy."

Sam shakes his head, stepping back from the glass. "Stop, All Spark." It doesn't listen.

"Does he suspect?"

"No! You can't tell him!"

"No, Sam wouldn't hate me."

"I noticed it in Chicago..."

"It's... it's steadily getting harder."

"I mean it, stop," Sam says shakily, hands balled up at his sides.

"I love you, Sam."

"Stop it!" Sam yells, his voice shattering the glass. He has to turn away and cover his head to protect his face from the smaller shards. Sam waits a moment longer before turning to see the damage, but instead of a pile of destroyed glass on the floor there is the skeleton of the All Spark. The outline of the Cube's large form, but inside of it is a mass, folded up in the center.

The mass was a mixture of metal and flesh. Like it was both human and robot. Like it was an Autobot with human flesh in certain places. Could this... could this be the future? Could humans and... and Autobots...?

Sam shakes his head, trying not to finish that question, but Bumblebee's face pops into his mind regardless. Which doesn't soothe his metaphorically ruffled feathers in the slightest.

"Stop it, All Spark. I mean it. I don't have time for this. I... I shouldn't of heard that. It was personal. I shouldn't have ease dropped like that-you shouldn't have made me!" Sam says exasperatedly. Then sighs, "That isn't something that I should have learned without Bumblebee's consent. It's not right."

The All Spark doesn't respond, and to be honest, Sam didn't think it would.

When Sam turns away he sees the scene behind him is much like the one when he saw the war on Cybertron. The place looked like a battlefield for as far as the eye could see, but this time, there was no fighting going on. Just empty darkness. Desolate and quiet. Like the last of life was stripped from the planet. Sam knew for a fact that that wasn't true, considering Optimus hurdled the Cube into space and Magatron left in order to search for it, ultimately allowing both Decpeticons and Autobots to abandon planetside in order to search the vastness of space for it.

Well, that's assuming Sam has any idea what this is suppose to be. Or what he is in this. Is he just a ghost? Is he the All Spark? What?

Sam doesn't get long to debate, because the next thing he knows Optimus, Ratchet and Jazz come into view. All looking beaten and busted, but something about their armor makes no sense to him. His brain can't comprehend the differences so it changes to their armor on Earth. Sam's brain spasms for a second before correcting itself and clears up the image.

"No, Optimus, this isn't right," Ratchet was saying. Sam shook his head. They could speak English before they got to Earth? What the hell?

"There is no choice, Ratchet. Megatron got too close the last time. If we lose the All Spark, then any chance of our feud being settled will go up in flames. This is the last option," Optimus says remorsefully. The three Autobots stop a distance from Sam. They all look at him for a very long time.

Jazz is the first to talk again. "I think you should do what you think should be done, Optimus. Don't you, Ratchet?"

Jazz, oh Jazz. If this is a memory-from the All Spark?- then if that's true, would Jazz be saying this if he knew that it would eventually lead him to Earth where he is subsequently bisected by Megatron in Mission City? Would he still believe that what Optimus plans to do is really the right choice? Maybe the All Spark would have been more safe on Cybertron. Maybe they would have been able to come to some form of understanding and Cybertron would have been unified under one banner again.

But no, the All Spark gives him the feeling that it wouldn't be that. Megatron needed to be stopped. He was the main problem but The Fallen also needed to be dealt with as did Sentinel Prime. This realization filled him with great sadness, both his and the All Spark's. The All Spark didn't want this. It didn't want the war and death and destruction. Maybe it really was the will of Primus. If so, then of course it wouldn't want it's creations to destroy each other.

"Yes, I do think that Optimus should do what he thinks is right too, but forgive me if I think throwing the All Spark off the planet as a bit more than what I'm comfortable with," Ratchet snaps. He shoots Jazz an annoyed look. Optimus sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I understand your hesitation, old friend, but this is for the best I think."

"But what about our people?"

"This is for them, Ratchet."

Ratchet lets out a haughty scoff, crossing his arms. "Optimus, you are throwing the All Spark off the planet, how in Primus will that help the people at all?"

Optimus drops his hand to turn away from Sam to Ratchet. "I understand your confusion, I really do, but the All Spark is not safe here. If Megatron gets their hands on it, we're done. It's taking everything we have to protect it. If they get it, we will not have the man power to get it back."

Ratchet looks away, unable to deny that, but not looking happy about it one bit. Jazz walks from the other Autobots to get close to Sam. He looks down at Sam, looking deep in thought.

"Whatever ends up happening, I think it'll be okay." He looks over his shoulder at Optimus and Ratchet. "Let's just hope that we can find it once it's gone."

"That's another thing! You are condemning our race to die without it," Ratchet gasps, looking positively horrified. Sam can't blame him. His worst fears end up being coming reality-not because the All Spark was lost in the vastness of space, no, there is still the chance it could be found if that were the case. But no, it gets destroyed by a human boy. And then absorbed by him.

Sam's surprised he's not up to his eyeballs in alien radiation. He won't be surprised if there ends up being massive adverse effects to having the All Spark's power within him. If they haven't already started happening.

Optimus didn't reply to Ratchet's concerns right away which only served to worry the old medic more.

"Optimus, think about this closely: if we lose the All Spark in a black hole, that's it. There is no saving us. Who knows what will happen when we die? We might not join the Well of Sparks if it's too far away. But just being in space, away from us makes it impossible to procreate. At that point, the steady decrease in both Autobots and Decepticon numbers will plummet dangerously close to extinction, if it doesn't already reach there!"

Optimus takes a moment to think, staring at Sam for the longest time, as if gaining some sort of wisdom from Sam, and from what he guesses, the All Spark. Almost as if he's wondering if there will be some sort of sign to tell him if he should do this or not. The indecision weighs heavily on his shoulders, it paints worry and concern all over the Prime's face.

Ultimately Optimus nods. "Yes, maybe you are right, old friend. The risks are perhaps too great. Maybe now is not the time to be rash."

Sam blinks in confusion. Wait, isn't Optimus suppose to be adamant about chucking the Cube into space so that it'll eventually land on Earth-not that Optimus would know that. Does he just pretend that he's going to listen to Ratchet to appease the old medic then do it later? No, that doesn't seem like Optimus. Does circumstance make that the last option and he has to do it regardless?

No, cold fear fills Sam's being. He-the All Spark, he means- will be taken by the Decpticons if it isn't removed from the planet, now. Another attack and that'll be it. The All Spark will be lost to the Autobots forever. And it will be in the possession of the Decepticons, namely Megatron.

Sam watches in horror as all three Autobots tip their heads in acknowledgement to the All Spark (Sam) before turning and heading back the way they came. Sam silently urges Optimus to come back, but the mental waves don't seem to be getting to the old Prime.

"No, Optimus!" Sam yells. "Do it! Throw the All Spark!"

Optimus doesn't seem to hear him and continues to walk away. Sam can feel overwhelming panic take over. Sam can't tell who's more worried, Sam or the All Spark. Sam will never meet Bumblebee or Optimus or Ratchet or Jazz or Ironhide or any of the other Autobots if they lose the All Spark here on Cybertron. If they never make it to Earth, it won't matter if Sam doesn't know what to do about Bumblebee's feelings. They'll never appear if the two never meet. And the All Spark wants to go to Earth. That is something that Sam can't understand. It's rational to the All Spark.

This time, Sam opened his mouth but he felt the power of the All Spark behind him, like a physical force at his back and together, although Sam's voice is the only voice he heard, he yells out, "Optimus!"

His words, infused with All Spark power, finally reach Optimus, Ratchet and Jazz. But not in their audio processors, but in their sparks. All three shutter, hands flying to their chests, sparks like a blazing inferno beneath their breast plates.

Optimus turns, wide eyed, toward Sam, stunned for a moment. The light eventually fading into their sparks' normal glow.

"What was that?" Jazz asks, rubbing his chest in confusion.

Ratchet glances at Sam. "A serge from the Cube?"

"But why?"

"No clue," Ratchet admits.

Optimus walks back over, kneeling in front of Sam, looking down at him with unreadable eyes and for a second, Sam wonders if Optimus can actually see him. If this isn't just a dream, but Sam is really on Cybertron. On the pedestal that he's sure was used to hold up the All Spark. Being considered for a first class flight into outer space at moc-10.

"Please, send the All Spark to space," Sam says softly, hoping that somehow the words will get to him. The All Spark makes it so. The reaction from Optimus's spark wasn't nearly as large, but in Optimus's spark chamber, his spark glowed brighter. Then dims again.

Optimus touches his spark chamber, a wonderous look crosses his face, and then grim understanding.

"Ratchet, Jazz, assemble the Autobots. The All Spark will be departing the planet soon," Optimus says softly, still looking at Sam.

"But Optimus-" Ratchet starts, but Jazz shakes his head for him to stop.

"Understood, Optimus."

The two leave and Optimus looks unbelievably sad. "I had hoped this would not be the case. But this is the will of Primus, is it not?"

Optimus almost looked like he was begging Sam to tell him that it wasn't true. That they would somehow have found a way without it having come to this. But Sam couldn't say that, couldn't reassure him in the way the old bot wanted to be reassured. "I'm sorry."

Optimus touches his spark again, noting the slight increase in it's glow before it fades again. They sit in silence until a decent group of Autobots have assembled. Most, if not all, look like they want to argue but once they see the look on Optimus's face, their protests die before they even reach their lips. A grim sense of understanding overcomes the Autobots in masses.

Looking at the group of Autobots hurts Sam's eyes and brain. But the All Spark corrects it, changing the Autobots he knew into their Earth armored forms while simultaneously blurring out all of the others. Sam's eyes fall onto the beaten form of Bumblebee. Naturally, like that was the only likely place for Sam to look next. But instead of seeing the never ending understanding love and affection that he's grown accustom, it's deep sadness and worry. This may be the last time that any of them ever see the All Spark.

This may be the moment that they lose any chance of this war being worth something.

Sam shoots up in bed, heart pounding, a cold sweat all over his body. Sam pulls his heavy legs to his chest, feeling achy and cold everywhere and tries to control his breathing. Those Autobots... their looks of worry and resentment and fear, but most of all, their hopelessness is seared into Sam's brain. Like it was branded there with a hot iron.

Tears prickle at the corners of Sam's eyes and he has to try and control himself before he loses it. The war is over but now the Autobots have to face something that no amount of gun power or perseverance can stop. Extinction. And it's all because of Sam.

That does it. Sam cries. The first time he's cried in a long time. He holds himself close and cries for the Autobots, for the Decepticons, for the Cybertronians in general, for Cybertron, for Primus and for all of the unborn sparklings that never got their chance at life, and never would. But most of all he cries about how selfish he's been. Here Sam is worried about how wrong it is for Bumblebee to like him when in the long run, who gives a shit? Bumblebee's race is on the verge of extinction and he's squeamish at the thought of intergalactic love.

There was no justice in life. The All Spark would rather the entire race die out then be controlled by the Decpticons. And Sam hated it for it. But only a little bit, because if the Decpticons had control over it, then all the Autobots would be dead. And that would be the most cruelest injustice Sam can ever think of. If Ironhide can be saved from being nearly rusted out of existence because of Sentinel Prime, the Autobots should be able to be saved from extinction.

Determination flooded through Sam. He wipes the last of his tears away. Admittedly, the cry did make him feel better. It helped him straighten out his thoughts and get his priorities in order. Sure, Sam isn't exactly sure what do about Bumblebee but it doesn't matter. Like Optimus said, whatever happens, happens. But Sam is definitely going to go about it far differently then he originally thought he would.

While rubbing his numb hands up and down his burning arms to create friction, Sam can't help but wonder if the All Spark showed him that just to get this reaction from him. But Sam doesn't want to feel like his newfound determination and strength is because Sam is being manipulated by some ancient alien artifact, he wants to believe that he realizes what to do. Or at least, what to start doing.

Sam takes a long hot shower and dresses in slacks and a dress shirt and heads to his office. When he gets there, he checks emails and sends out reports and such for a good portion of the morning and afternoon. All seem to be aware that Sam isn't to be disturbed, so the door stays closed and no one comes to bother him. For a good portion of that, Sam sends looks at the decently sized stack of flash drives on the corner of his desk. But he tries to ignore them. He has more important things that he has to focus on.

But those damn flash drives keep taunting him. Sam is either going to give in and look at them, or take a hammer to them. A decision was made, and Sam didn't have a hammer nearby.

Ironically, or maybe not if Sam thinks too hard on it, the first flash drive Sam grabs, just so happens to be the one with him and Bumblebee out in the snow. Sam touching Bumblebee's vocalizer. Smiling and laughing. Not think about the extinction of a race, or a life altering speech. Just basking in the warmth and comfort of the other's presence.

Sam spends the rest of the afternoon into the early evening watching videos that Jacobs has collected over the years. There are huge gaps, months without a video but then sometimes there are days with three or four. And most of those days, Sam is on base. The human liaison is honestly flattered. They really do relax and have more fun when Sam is near. Maybe they are subconsciously reacting to the proximity of the All Spark. That deflates Sam a little.

A knock on the door pulls Sam form his thoughts.

"Come in!"

The door opens to reveal Optimus in his holo form. He smiles a little at Sam. "May I sit?"

Sam nods. "Sure, come look at this."

Optimus obeys, coming to stand behind Sam to look at the screen, bringing with him a waft of cologne. How do they produce scents? Sam shakes his head and hits the big play button in the center of the screen before moving the mouse away. The first thing to appear is Skids, strutting around.

"Tak' that Mudflap!" He points at his brother, who is a crumpled mess on the floor.

"Ow, damn, Skids, that hurt."

"Ass whoopin' is suppose to hurt!" he laughs.

"So's a swift kick in face," Mudflap agrees.

"Yeah," Skids laughs a little harder, then pauses. "Wai' what?"

Then Mudflap got just that: a swift kick in the face. He stumbled back, falling onto his behind. He looks around, disoriented. He rubs his head. Finally, he says, "Tha's cold, man."

Sam could barely hear Jacobs laughing in the film over the sound of his own laughter. Optimus, who had one hand on the back of Sam's chair and the other on the desk, leaning past Sam chuckles too.

Skids jumps onto Mudflap and punches him in the face.

"Yo, Skids!" someone calls. Jacobs ducks back for a moment, screen filled with a concrete wall before he peaks back out. Both the brothers are looking at Robert Epps who was peaking out one of the windows near them. If he looked to his left and down, he would see Jacobs perfectly.

"Wha'?" Skids squawks.

"Prowl is looking for you. He said you didn't show up for an assignment."

Skids shakes his head in confusion. "I didn' have no assignment toady."

Robert shrugs. "Sorry, just passing the word. Maybe you should straighten that out with him." With that Robert disappeared back into the building.

Skids shook his head, looking confused, trying to rack his brain for this possible assignment that he blew off.

"Sorry Skids," Mudflap says, sitting up.

Skids looks down at him confused, standing up. "Fo' what?"

"Fo' forgettin' to tell ya that ya got an assignment with Sideswipe like three hours ago," Mudflap then started laughing.

Skids green armor almost looked red with anger. "Damn you! Now Prowl's gonna kick my ass!"

"I know!" Mudflap laughs even harder.

The video ended after that. Sam wipes a tear of mirth from his eye. Optimus chuckles again in amusement, laughter causing crinkles to appear around his mouth and eyes. It's a nice look, one that Optimus, unfortunately, doesn't wear enough.

"Okay, so what can I do for you, Optimus?" Sam asks.

The Autobot leader pushes himself away from the desk, hitting Sam without another blast of cologne, before moving back around to the chair on the other side. "I was wondering how you were. Tomorrow is the big day. I noted earlier that your stress levels were high, but when I came back around they were relatively low. I was curious is all."

"Yeah," Sam says, "I've just been watching these for a while. A lot of them are really good. There is actually very little in the possibly two years I've covered that have anything that could be dangerous to you. Which is good. I know they didn't do it to hurt anyone."

Optimus sits. "Yes, First Aid has yet to stop apologizing. He is truly distraught over the entire thing. Jacobs is equally remorseful but does not express it as vocally as First Aid."

"I bet," Sam murmurs to himself more than Optimus. Sam looks into the calm and competent eyes of the Autobot leader and finally blurts out, "I don't know what to do."

Optimus blinks confused, not prepared for that random outburst. "Maybe I can help," he offers.

Sam interlaces his fingers on his desk and leans forward. Sam contemplated telling Optimus about what he heard. About Bumblebee. Maybe Optimus can tell him something that can somehow make all of this make sense, but he couldn't bring himself to. This has to be something that Bumblebee has to tell him. Yeah, he already knows but still.

"I want to..." Sam hesitates. "Actually, there's a lot I want. My speech is tomorrow, can I make you a test subject? Bumblebee wasn't a whole lot of help." Sam makes a face, remembering how his supposed best friend laughing at his speech attempt.

Optimus nods, crossing his legs. "Shoot."

"Okay, but I'm going to say this right now, if you laugh like Bumblebee did, our friendship is over." Optimus smiles at that.

Optimus holds up a hand. "Scout's honor."

"Keep in mind, I feel like there is still something missing." Optimus nods.

Sam takes a deep breath and launches into his speech. Once it's over, he looks at Optimus, bracing for the worst. But thankfully he didn't look to be in pain or laugh like Bumblebee. He seems thoughtful. Sam waits in silence for him to digest it. The lack of laughter and horror is a start. Although that could be all merited to the fact that Optimus is at least tactful in his attempt to tell someone that something sucks. Unlike Bee.

Finally, Optimus says, "It's good. I like it."

Sam sighs in relief. "Good enough to sway the minds of billions?"

Optimus smiles lightly. "I don't believe I could accurately answer that."

"Thought so," Sam says, reaching back and kneading at the back of his neck. "But...?"

"But what?"

"You seemed like you wanted to add more," Sam says, knowingly. "Okay, so hit me with it."

Optimus thinks to himself for a moment. "There was nothing wrong with it, I'll start out by saying that. But I agree with your earlier statement, there does seem to be something missing."

"Any ideas?"

Before Optimus can respond, someone says, "I might."

Sam's eyes flicker up to the slightly ajar door to see Maggie peaking in.

"Maggie," Sam says, standing up. In his mind's eye, he can see the look on her face when he basically called her a shitty friend. He said a lot of mean things to her that he didn't mean, but he still said them and he knows it hurt her feelings. She didn't deserve that, she wasn't a shitty friend for trying to tell him what he should have already known. And now, here she is, willing to help after the terrible things he said to her.

Maggie waves at him to sit down as she walks into the room. "May I?" She gestures around the room like that meant something to Sam. He nods anyway and lowers himself back into his seat.

The blond walks up next to Optimus and reaches down, picking up one of the many flash drives laying on his desk. She moves it back and forth between her two hands, looking down at it.

"Anything good on here?"

Sam raises an eyebrow. "I don't know, why?" Then it hits him. "No way. That's so cliche!"

The corner of Maggie's lip quirks up. "Yeah, but what's the saying: go with what works, right? Why not?"

"It'll look staged!" Sam says.

"No it wont. He is litterally hiding behind walls. Besides this is one hundred percent genuine. Did you know what they were doing?" Maggie asks Optimus. The Autobot leader looked between the two humans confused on their mutual understanding.

"What they were doing? Do you mean the recording? No," Optimus shakes his head. "I was unaware of any such activity going on."

"See?" Maggie says. "Point and case."

Sam rolls his eyes, relaxing a little, glad that they were able to fall back into step. Like that horrible incident the other day didn't even happen. The look on Maggie's face said the same thing. They would still have to talk, but for now, it was water under the bridge.

"I don't know, Mags." Sam rubs the back of his neck, trying to think of another alternative. Something that looks a little less... staged? Fake. Whatever.

Maggie, noticing the confused look on Optimus's face, supplies, "I'm telling Sam that he should use some of the videos found in these flash drives in his speech tomorrow."

Optimus nods in understanding, then blinks a few times, "How did you know about those videos?"

Sam turns slowly to look at her too. "Yeah, how Maggie?"

She shrugs. "Prowl mutters angrily under his breath a lot. Most of it is Cybertronian, but sometimes, if you're lucky, some English will makes it's way in there."

Optimus and Sam share exasperated looks.

"I think it's a good idea," Optimus says. "To use the videos, I mean. I have looked through a lot of speeches where visuals to make ones point seems to be a lot more effective."

Sam rubs the back of his neck, trying to think of a way around it, when low and behold, the All Spark chimes in. After being quiet most of the day, Sam figured it had burned itself out last night giving him depressing dreams.

Sam's lips move before he can process the words, "Nothing is merely coincidence. Everything has a purpose." Even having said the words, Sam can close his eyes and see the symbols engraved on the back of his eyelids. Then the truth hit him. "The All Spark did it. Somehow, it made it that they were caught. So I would have the material to use for my speech." Sam shakes his head, disbelievingly. "Holy shit."


	15. The Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Phew, that was hard to write. I wasn't super duper happy with it, but I did like how it ended up coming out. There is a little bit more to the speech, but I think I can fit it into the next chapter. And besides a certain someone wanted me to get a chapter done before their birthday on Thursday. So happy birthday Mefrancene! I also would like to thank everyone that contributed to my mini dilemma. I thought for sure originally that Bumblebee was the best one but then this nagging thought in the back of my head kept saying, "what if?" And I second guessed myself. All of you had amazing opinions, thank you all so much. Enough ranting from me. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 5,863

"Are the preparations made?" Sam asks Prowl. Him and Will both nod, handing Sam a single flash drive. It's a panda bear. You can remove it's head and stuff it into the computer. A little sick, but cute at the same time. It's Sarah's, Will tried to tell Sam, but from the way Robert burst out laughing at the sight of it along with a humorous, "You still have that?" Sam thinks it's safe to assume that the gruff NEST major or whatever Will is, likes cutesy panda flash drives.

Sam moves the flash drive back and forth from one hand to another in thought, before smiling at Will and Prowl. "Thanks, both of you for doing this for me."

"Pleasure," Prowl says, and Sam believes him. Prowl is strict and stickler for the rules but he really is a good and invaluable friend and ally.

Will pats Sam's arm in a manly gesture of comfort. "Just ask if you need anything else."

Sam nods. "Okay. Prowl," he raises his head to look at the red Autobot, "I already told Optimus but just in case, it's going to be hectic tomorrow morning. Make sure that Bumblebee, Wheelie, Brains, Arcee, Dustyrose, Optimus, Ironhide, First Aid and Corpral Jacobs are in position by the time I start my speech. I might have heart attack if not everyone is in position."

Prowl looks alarmed. "Sam, maybe I should escort you to see Ratchet before you go to bed tonight."

"It's a figure of speech, Prowl. He's not really going to," Will tells the red bot to calm him down.

Sam rubs his temples. "Don't count on it. If I start touching my left arm, rush me to the hospital immediately. Too much stress at such a young age is doing nothing good for me."

"I'll tackle you off the stage like there's a sniper pointed at your head," Will assures Sam. Er, kinda.

Prowl looks more alarmed then before. "Are the safety preparations rock solid? That would be utterly horrible if someone were to attempt at your life, especially with so many NEST soldiers and Autobots nearby."

"Bumblebee would lose his head," Sam mutters under his breath, intending it to be just to himself but with his enhanced hearing, Prowl hears him.

"He would," he agrees. "And with good reason. You are very... precious to him, Sam. You mean an absolute lot to him."

Oh, trust him, Prowl, Sam knows. "I thought I meant a lot to all of you," he jokes, trying to lighten the mood, whilst simultaneously hating Will for what he said.

Prowl blinks, startled. "You do, but especially much to Bumblebee. I think the correct corse of action would be to not mention that there may be a possible assassination attempt on your life, Sam, to either Optimus or Bumblebee. I guarantee neither will handle it well. I will be nearby with the Autobot protection detail so we will keep our eyes open."

Sam clears his throat uncomfortably. "Well, thanks Will. I wasn't even concerned that my life could possibly be in danger, but now I am."

"Well," Will says, scratching the back of his head. "Don't. You'll be fine."

Sam rolls his eyes. "Thanks for the flash drive," he waves it at them. "I trust that the two of you can handle the rest?"

Both nod. With that, Sam heads back home, exhausted, hoping that he will be able to get some sleep before the big day tomorrow.

For once, the All Spark let him dream. Which was both a good and a bad thing. Good, because he didn't have to worry about trying to decipher strange alien messages the night before his speech; bad, because Sam had nightmares all night. Reoccurring dreams of the speech going wrong and people panicking and riots and someone killing an Autobot. Keeping in mind, that probably wouldn't happen, but Sam's douche bag brain seems to think that there may be some legitimacy to it. At around three in the morning, Sam showered and threw on some jeans and a tee-shirt and went to see Bumblebee.

Once again, back in the hanger with the rest of the sleeping Autobots, Sam creeps his way over the yellow camero. None of them stirred, but with Sam's clambering feet and racing heart he knows he probably woke most, if not all, of the Autobots. But, like saints, none react except for Bumblebee, who popped open his back door welcoming. Sam whispers his thanks to Bumblebee, still trying to keep up the illusion that he didn't wake all of the Autobots with his entrance, and climbs onto the back seats, curling up.

The door closes softly behind him.

Sam feels the stress ease from his body. Maybe it was the All Spark's doing. Maybe it was his own comfort with his best friend. Maybe Bumblebee really has become his rock over their years. Either way, Sam isn't going to look further into Bumblebee's natural willingness to just be there for him.

Bumblebee warms up the cabin and Sam is lulled back to sleep.

It was hectic in the waking hours that followed. Maggie found Sam sleeping comfortably in Bumblebee's backseat. Dazed and confused, she dragged him away from Bumblebee and the rest of the Autobots, to get food that he barely tasted in his stomach and get his pressed clothes and get onto the road. Ever reliable Bumblebee waited for him in front of his building, along with a convoy of Autobots ready to leave with him. Most, if not all, filled with NEST soldiers, ready to make the trip to Chicago.

In Bumblebee with Sam is Maggie, Will, Brains and Wheelie. Sam has already give the two small Autobots the stern reminder, "fuck this up and I will punt you off the planet. I mean it," and they went on their merry way.

"We should make it there with about seven hours of prep time. Remember, you have to be on stage by 5:30 if you want to begin your speech at six," Maggie reminded him.

Sam nodded, rubbing his thumb across the Autobot symbol on Bumblebee's steering wheel. "Got it."

Hours of prep and two basic run through, Sam making sure all the Autobots knew where they were suppose to be and what they were suppose to do. Sam's nerves were far beyond shot by the time he was brought back to 'home base', which was where the NEST surveyed the area with cameras and other forms of surveillance, to get his hair and make-up done.

Imagine Sam's horror-make-up!

Sam had to force himself not to ask if NEST could see everything out there, like a possible sniper. Or, a ninja assassin. Damn Will for putting yet another horrifyingly scary thought into his head.

Half hour before he was to give his speech, Sam looks at one of the many monitors that create the picture outside those walls. Tons of news vans and vehicals from general populous fill the nearby parking lots. Sam pulls himself away, feeling sick in the pit of his stomach. He loosen, then tightens his tie. He then runs his hands up and down his legs, trying to calm himself down.

Sam walks over to the window and looks over the crowd. A stage set up in front of the building where the masses gathered to await for Sam to talk about that massive thing (a giant chunk of Cybertron) floating in the sky. Dustyrose, Ironhide, Arcee, Optimus, Bumblebee, and First Aid are lined up in the back of the stage. A lot of work was put into making sure this stage was big enough to fit all of them. Especially since Dustyrose and First Aid were last minute additions.

The All Spark analyses all of the tired, worn, but excited faces. It brings Sam's gaze to the stationary Autobots on the stage and analyses them too. The too subtle shifts on their wheels. The slight hum of each of their engines. The metal glistening beneath the sun. The All Spark tells him what he already knows.

"They're ready," Sam whispers, his own words bringing him strength. "Whatever happens, they're prepared."

"Mr. Witwicky?"

Sam turns to see his press advisor, Michael Jones. Mearing was nice enough to send him Sam's way. A seasoned advisor that looks capable of taking just about anything in stride. Sam has to admit, he looks composed for having learned just a few days ago that aliens exist and he's going to be part of the Reveal. He steps close to Sam and straightens his tie, a determined, calm look on his face.

"Are you ready, Mr. Witwicky?" Michael asks, stepping back.

Sam nods. "Yep. Let's do this."

Michael goes out first, catching everyone's attention in the crowd, causing all of them to push close to the stage in anticipation. He gives a brief welcome and announces Sam, title and rank, all of which Sam didn't listen too. When Michael stepped aside and people began to clap, Sam entered.

The heat hit Sam first, it wasn't much, and there is a subtle chill of the wind. Sam subconsciously touches the mike on his cheek hoping, at the very last possible moment, that there won't be technical difficulties, and that there will. As Sam climbs up the back stairs and onto the stage, he passes by Optimus, pausing only for a moment to reach out and touch the flames. Maybe it's Sam's nerves, but he feels better knowing that the composed and powerful Autobot is at his back, prepared for everything he can be.

He steps in front of the crowd and people quiet down to listen, cameras pointed at Sam. Ready to listen to his every word, judge his every move. Eyes already darkening in mistrust and wonder. The All Spark analyses that too. They think he's too young. See that he's nervous. They are condemning him before a single word has even left his lips.

Suddenly, Sam falters. His legs lock up and horror flutters across his face. Humans could never accept the Autobots. They could never understand what Sam does. They are all like Carly. She couldn't understand. She tried. God did she try. But it wasn't enough. She wasn't strong enough to be able to get it. Very few are.

Sam's eyes flicker to NEST troops in front of and around the perimeter of the stage. Will directly in front of him. Strong and confident and sure. Sam wishes he could be like that. Know for certain that this was okay. That this would be alright. To be strong like Will. Hell, strong like Bumblebee.

The All Spark's power surges and that strange heaviness weighs over Sam, but this time it doesn't force him to the ground. In fact, if Sam had to guess, it feels like the All Spark is helping holding Sam up. And at his back, Sam becomes aware of a spark pulsating. Strong and sure. Synchronizing with his own erratically beating heart, slowing it down. Calming him down.

Sam's hand runs over smooth metal and he knows immediately that it's Bumblebee at his back. Engine revving in reassurance. Telling him that nothing is going to go wrong. Bumblebee and the other Autobots are there. Sam's not alone.

Strength pushes Sam to the middle of the stage, staring out over the crowd of waiting people, he opens his mouth and suddenly his entire speech is there, at the forefront of his mind, and he can see with crystal clarity that it has to be the work of the All Spark. He opens his mouth and the words just tumble out.

"Good evening. I'm Samuel Witwicky and I'm here to talk to you about that strange anomaly floating precariously over Chicago. I can tell you that it isn't a government experiment nor is it some kind of glitch in reality, but in fact a chunk of alien planet." Sam's eyes roam the crowd, the flicker of disbelief, of annoyance, of fear and worry. But then there is some of wonder and interest. Eyes like Carly's and eyes like Sam's.

"This alien planet is known as Cybertron and it housed a species of aliens deemed Cybertronians. Before I can explain why part of the planet is floating in our atmosphere, you must first learn about Cybertron itself. plagued with war and mistrust dwindled Cybertron's life until it was a mere fragment of what it once was. It's surface, hostile to humans, became a complete warzone for the Cybertronians that stretched across the entirety of the planet itself. The two rulers of Cybertron the Lord High Priest, Megatron, and the Prime, Optimus, took opposite sides in the conflict. Two factions, already formed from previous wars, the Autobots and the Decepticons.

Sam pauses for a moment, letting that sink in before continuing. "In Optimus and the rest of the Autobot's possession was something called the Cube or All Spark. The All Spark is what created and housed the souls of Cybertronians. It gives a Cybertronian life and then once their life is lived, it accepts the energy back along with all of the knowledge that the Cybertronian gained throughout their life. Megatron wanted the All Spark for evil and during the war, many Autobots and Decpeticons died trying to either steal or protect the All Spark.

"As a last ditch effort to save their planet and people, Optimus hurdled the All Spark into outer space hoping that they would one day be able to retrieve the All Spark from the vastness of space and not doom his people to go into extinction. The All Spark," Sam says slowly, a shiver of excitement going through him at the sight of all of those enraptured faces, "landed on Earth and Megatron chased it here. That lead to the Autobots following suit hoping to stop him. The battle took place in Mission city."

Sam watches as both horror and realization flitters through the crowd, Sam's story suddenly starting to seem more and more real. He gives that a few minutes to sink in. He turns slightly to look at the Autobot behind him. Like an army behind it's leader, prepared to charge a moments notice. Sam smiles back at them lightly before turning back to the crowd.

"In the midst of Optimus and Megatron's show down, the All Spark was shoved into what acts as Megatron's heart. The power of the All Spark, which is pure energy, killed Megatron where he was then dumped into the bottom of the ocean. A few years later, Decpticons, having located where Megatron's body, swam to his body and managed to fix it thus bringing him back to life. Turns out that Megatron was working along another called The Fallen.

"You see, this isn't the first time that Cybertronian's have been to Earth. The last time they were here, they made a weapon in Egypt that could harvest our sun for them. The Primes of old found out that Earth had intelligent life and botched the plan, but The Fallen was adamant about the harvest. A battle ensued and the Primes of old hid the weapon beneath the pyramids and the key to the weapon by creating a giant door using their own bodies to protect it.

"The key fell into The Fallen's hands and he was able to start the harvester but was stopped once again by Optimus and the Autobots. The Fallen could only be killed by Optimus because he was a Prime too. Megatron managed to escape once more but the battle was won. The Harvester was destroyed and the key is once again hidden in a safe place."

Sam turns slightly to look over at the chunk of Cybertron, stuck over Chicago. Whatever happened to the rest of Cybertron? A huge piece of it was missing. Did the rest of it get destroyed? Or is there just a ruined planet out there with a huge chunk taken from it? Sam looks back to the crowd, knowing that there is so many questions and thoughts going through their heads, so much they want to know and ask.

"And that brings us to Chicago," Sam says and he can see the crowd shifting in both anticipation and nervousness. "An old Cybertronian called Sentinal, who was repowered when he was brought to Earth after having crash landed on the moon, betrayed the Autobots and join Megatron. He didn't agree with Megatron, he just wanted to save Cybertron. He wanted to bring Cybertron here using techknowledge to open what they called a space gate and transport their planet here. As you can see," Sam gestures over their heads to Cybertron, "he succeeded in starting to bring it here, but once more Optimus managed to stop him and Megatron. This time for good. There is still Decepticons out there, but for now, they are gone."

Sam walks over to a brown box placed next the podium that Sam told them he wasn't going to use, but they insisted that it stay. He opens it to see a little truck and a laptop with the Autobot symbol on the top. He picks up the toy car first.

"Would everyone like to meet a Cybertronian?" Sam asks. The crowd murmurs. Mixed expressions on their faces, but nonetheless the camera's stay on Sam.

"I would," a girl says over the crowd's murmuring, silencing them.

Sam blinks, looking ahead to see a girl step out of the crowd, a man on her shoulder. She smiles brilliantly at Sam. Knowing and understanding. Pretty blue eyes that Sam has gazed into lovingly at one time.

"Okay," Sam says softly. "Would you come up the stage please, ma'am?"

She breaks away from her boyfriend and walks past the NEST guards and up the small steps at the side of the stage, walking past the Autobots like they aren't even there. Playing the part of an innocent bystander perfectly. She knows nothing to the crowd while Sam knows that she knows everything.

Sam picks up the portable microphone on the podium and turns it on and hands it to her. He relaxes a bit at the reassuring smile she sends him. For a split second, their past is forgotten. The horrible way their relationship ended is gone.

"Could you state your name for the record, please?"

She smiles dazzlingly out at the crowd. "Mikaela Banes."

He then hands her the little car. "And what is this, Miss Banes?"

She takes it, shifting Wheelie from one hand to the other, tilting him, like she was inspecting the toy with interest, then boredom. "It's just a toy car."

Sam shakes his head, taking Wheelie back from her. "No, he's a small Autobot disguising himself as a toy car. Everyone, I would like you to meet, Wheelie." At his words, Wheelie transforms in his hands. The crowd gasps and moves back, startled.

"What's up, people of Earth?" Wheelie asks.

Mikaela, still playing the part, leans in close, as if inspecting him. He looks at her, but thankfully doesn't mention that this wasn't the first time they had met. In fact, that would be when he was trying to steal a piece of the All Spark and she torched one of his eyes. But no one needed to know that.

Sam puts Wheelie on his shoulder and leans down to pick up Brains masquerading as a laptop. He hands the laptop to Mikaela next. "And what's this?"

Mikaela, albeit a bit hesitant, moves the laptop around then hands it back to Sam saying, "It looks like a laptop, but it's not, is it?"

Sam shakes his head and Brains transforms too. His wild electric blue hair makes Mikaela laugh.

"The name's Brains, Miss Banes," Brains says.

"Nice to meet you," Mikaela says, then turns to get off the stage and Sam feels a smile on his face. Looking out over the crowd, there is fear and uncertainty, as well as interest and awe and a bit of disbelief.

"Hey, Brains," Wheelie greets.

"Wheelie," Brains greets back.

Sam puts both of them on the podium and steps closer to the edge of the stage. The cameras are going from Sam to the two small Autobots. As promised, the two are on their best behavior. Both sit politely on the podium, looking at Sam.

"Cybertronians," Sam says, bringing everyone's attention back to him. There is still murmurs in the crowd but most quiet down so they can hear. "They are like humans. They come in all shapes and sizes. Cybertronians are autonomous robotic organisms. They have thoughts and feelings. They can get hurt and feel sad. This Autobot in particular is a very precious friend of mine. He has been my best friend since we first met back in 2007. Everyone, I would like to introduce you to my friend, Bumblebee."

Sam turns and steps away, giving Bumblebee the room to move forward and transform. He does so slowly so people aren't freaked out. Or at least that's what he tries to go for, but he got a bigger reaction then Wheelie and Brains and that's mostly because Bumblebee is the size of a house. He stretches out, to his tallest length, bringing his bright blue gaze down to the terrified populous gathered.

A startled and scared man backs up swiftly, knocking Maggie down.

"Ow!" she snaps. "Look out!"

Bumblebee hones in on her voice and immediately heads her way. Sam, heart plummeting, almost calls out to stop him when he notices the camera's following the large Autobot, kneeling in front little Maggie, gently wrapping her up in his hand and places her back on her feet. People scrabble to stay out of his way, but he doesn't seem to notice.

He makes a soft whirling noise. "Are you okay?" He asks over the radio. "You... were not hurt... were you?"

Maggie smiles brilliantly up at him. "No, I'm fine. Thank you."

The look on Bumblebee's face. Relief. Sam can see people recognizing that too. And a brave man steps a bit closer. No, it's not a brave man, persay. It's Leo.

"Wow," he says. "That is so cool!"

"Yeah," Mikaela steps up next to him. "Helping that girl up? What a gentlemen."

Sam honestly could not love these people any more than he did right now. Having the approval of other humans, some people inch closer a bit in interest. Bumblebee looks up at the circle of worried but curious faces, scanning the crowd before his features lighten up, akin to a smile. He whirls softly. Clapping and point at Leo.

"Bright man, brave man!" Bumblebee's radio announces. "Allow us a moment to applaud those individuals that make a world of difference."

Bumblebee stands tall and claps. Switching from clapping to pointing and clapping. Sam joins him as does Carly and Mikaela. Leo's cheeks color but he smiles none the less. Other people slowly join, not all that sure why they are, but they are.

Leo steps closer to Bumblebee and holds his fist out toward the yellow Autobot. "Bump it, Bumblebee."

Bumblebee exasperatedly trills happily and reaches down to gently touch Leo's small fist with his. Other brave people step forward, offering their fists too. Bumblebee gently touches bumps fists with them, trilling happily when they smile or laugh. People start taking pictures and scooting a little closer. Only the really brave people get close to Bumblebee and directly speak to him. A lot still hang back, watching curiously.

"How 'bout a picture, big guy?" Sam vaguely hears a college boy asks, holding up his phone.

Bumblebee nods, sitting down legs criss-cross. The guy stands in front of Bumblebee and does the piece sign while his friend gets ready to take the picture. At the last second Bumblebee mimics his peace sign.

Sam grins, watching Bumblebee win over the crowd. He ended up being the best choice. Bumblebee has spent the most time with humans. He is the most adaptable. He is doing just fine.

Brains and Wheelie slink into the crowd, meeting and greeting people. A much more positive reaction, especially being so small in comparison to Bumblebee. Sam watches fondly as Wheelie shakes the hand on an older woman while Brains gets into a debate with a man in a suit about the man's shoe quality.

A soft whirling noise pulls Sam away from the two smaller Autobots to Bumblebee, knelt in front of him and stage, mindful of the NEST soldiers stationed there. Sam unconsciously reaches out to touch Bumblebee's vocalizer and smiles.

"I know," Sam says, looking into those affectionate blue optics. "It's time to move on."

Sam honestly hadn't expected them to hit it off with the Autobots so soon. Maybe it was Bumblebee's personality that warmed them up so fast. Or maybe it was his friends and ex-girlfriends' involvements. Sam may never find out, but whatever the reason, he's happy. His happiness must have shown on his face because Bumblebee whirls loudly and nudges Sam's hand with obvious excitement.

"Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen, there are more Autobots to meet," Sam says, pulling away from Bumblebee. He stands and moves out of the way so the crowd can get close to the stage again. Brains and Wheelie move back to the podium, crawling up the length to sit on top of it. People snap some pictures. "I would like to introduce the next Autobot, but that just won't be fair. I believe that Corporal Jacobs, self proclaimed best friend of said Autobot, would like the honor."

Jacobs walks on stage, waving when people cat call and whistle. He told Sam, the day of, that he is from Chicago. Born and raised. It was practically icing on the cake. So much is just falling into place. Maybe the All Spark has more influence then Sam originally thought.

Jacobs takes the microphone that Sam hands him and proclaims. "Oh man it's good to be home!" That gets more cheers and proclamations of love. "I would like all of you to meet a very near and dear friend of mine. He's very, very shy and nervous, so make it feel welcome, Chicago. This is First Aid!"

The white and red Autobot transforms in front of the crowd. Their reaction was less dramatic. People stayed close this time, but most did tense up. First Aid did exactly what Sam knew, and was counting on him doing. His entire posture turned shy and insecure.

"Come on, buddy," Jacobs waves him down closer. "It's fine."

"I-I-I to-told y-y-you that I w-w-wouldn't be able t-to do th-this," First Aid stutters in his soft timid voice.

"You're fine, First Aid. Come on, what did I tell you?"

First Aid wraps his arms around himself, trying to make himself smaller, which honestly wasn't working out too well. His shoulders bunch up and he tries his absolute hardest not to look at the crowd. "Th-th-that Ch-Chicago is your h-home..."

"And that means?"

"Th-that home is filled wi-with family..."

Jacobs nods, patting the side of First Aid's leg affectionately. "And you can be yourself when your with family, right?" First Aid nods hesitantly, still looking scared and shy. "Then say hi to the family."

First Aid hesitates, glancing a little at the crowd. Sam could see him shrinking beneath their gazes and he knew that this was going to work to his advantage. Bumblebee is warm and kind and very assured of himself while First Aid is adorably innocent and shy. But most of all, he's naive and young acting, taking off whatever edge Bumblebee put on the crowd. If Sam didn't know any better; he would assume that First Aid was the younger of the two and not a couple hundred years older than Bumblebee, but no one needed to know that.

First Aid waves lightly at the crowd, still not fully looking at anyone. "H-h-hello..."

Murmuring washes over the crowd. Some "aww"s could be heard and that was precisely what Sam was hoping for. So far everything has gone better than he dared to hope.

Jacobs and First Aid leave the stage; Jacobs returning to line next to Will and First Aid going to stand next to Bumblebee out of the way. People sneak photographs of the two Autobots and even start taking pictures of Sam in front of the remaining Autobots that have yet to be revealed.

Ironhide was next. He didn't get as good of a reception as Sam hoped but the people soon warmed up to his ways. He even managed to make the populous laugh when one of the college boys had asked him something sportsy or something and he came back with a witty comeback. Sam had no idea what exactly happened but so long as no one was running in fear and confusion, he wasn't going to argue.

The reception for Arcee was very positive. All of the feminists in the crowd adored her immediately. A strong independent woman, holding great power and respect amongst many male comrades was impressive to them. She was respectful for the most part but wouldn't let anyone talk down to her, which was hard considering she towered over all the humans, but she didn't correct anyone that addressed her as miss or any other formal feminine title.

Dustyrose wasn't as eloquent in her attempt to be friendly but she was able to talk about what she thought of Earth so far and from the way she kept twisting her neck somewhat toward Optimus behind her, Sam can only assume that there was a little bit of coaching going on. She would suddenly stop a train of thought and find a nicer way to say that she thinks our air tastes like shit. Thankfully, the feminine titles didn't appear to bother her either, so there was no problem there either but she was still crisp in her answers and little bit standoffish but no one seemed to notice too much. Other then the other Autobots and the NEST soldiers. We all collective grimaced whenever a crisp rely came from Dustyrose's lips.

Although, people really liked her sleek gray armor and beautiful pink and blue rose on her. It's stem wrapped around her left leg, thorns and all, twisting all the way up to her chest, blossoming into a huge rose. It looked good on her and when asked where she got it done.

"Curtsey of Corporal Jacobs," she says fondly. The most gentle she has spoken all day, and that won people over.

The crowd was warming up nicely to the Autobots and Sam could feel himself relaxing a bit, but this was it. One of the most worrisome moments of the entire show. Yeah, the actual reveal in and of itself was the most stressful part but this one paints the target on Optimus completely. Sam had ultimately decided to keep himself from the stories because in his mind, he was a minute part of it in comparison. Optimus was the main focus. Optimus won this battle and that. He saved them from this and that. He's the focus. Hopefully that was the right way to go.

"And last, but certainly not least, I would like to introduce to all of you, Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots," Sam says, waving his arm to the transforming red and blue Autobot. Not only did Sam talk up Optimus, but this particular Autobot was the largest of all the others. He towers over even Autobots so humans would be more intimidated by that and his track record.

So, understandably, everyone backs up again, staring up in wonder and awe. Optimus, with the sun bouncing off his sleek red and blue flamed frame, bends down to get close to eye level. The cameras get closer to get a better look at him.

"People of Earth, I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for allowing us to experience your beautiful world. I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots and I thank you for giving us the time of your day," he says respectfully. He looks over at Sam and smiles lightly. "I would also like to thank Sam for being so patient and thoughtful throughout this entire ordeal. It certainly didn't appear easy and he put a lot of time and effort into making sure all of this came out perfectly and I wanted to make sure that it didn't go unnoticed or unappreciated."

Then, to Sam's utter amazement, everyone started to clap and cheer. Humans and Autobots. Bumblebee and Optimus leading the charge, but all his friend; human and Autobot, quickly follow after. Sam's eyes widen in shock and he feels warmth fill his gut and blossom in his chest much like the giant rose on Dustyrose's chest.

Sam has to turn away a bit to wipe his eyes. Yes, this entire ordeal has been so stressful. And no, he's still stressed and scared but at least he's getting a positive outcome. He never expected a thanks and didn't think he deserved one. He was doing this because he was asked, and because they were his friends. No one would take care of them like he would. No one would look out for them like he would. Maybe that's why this whole "rewards system" thing really bothered him. That's not something Sam would ever do, so why would some one else?

People awed in stuff, but that was all background noise. None of that really mattered. So long as there were no screams of terror or fear. It was fine. He feels something brush the side of his face and he jerks up to see Bumblebee knelt in front of the stage again. Blue eyes wide with concern and worry.

Sam just smiled. A true, pure smile. He was happy. Whatever ended up being the overall outcome, he would be ready, but for right now, he was okay. He was happy. And he had the people that mattered beside him.


	16. No need to fill the silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Here it is! Sorry for the wait, everyone. I would like to first off thank all of my viewers for giving me lots of wonderful questions. All of them were wonderful and thoughtful and I am so happy that so many participated! Thank you all so much for your patience! So without further ado, enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: The perverted minds of my readers. And me. :D
> 
> Word Count: 4,721

The second to final touch was the video taken on the base by both Jacobs and First Aid, much later. Sam made sure that Prowl and Will both went through the videos and found some that showed the camaraderie between humans and Autobots. Sam was very strict on what they could and couldn't have. Like nothing that would show or talk about their sparks, or their weapons, or exactly how to kill any of them. Just playful, fun interaction between the two species.

They picked out a few; one being the one of Sam and Bumblebee, which Sam was a little hesitant to show just because it involved himself but he was already putting himself out there so no guts, no glory. Another was one of Ironhide and Will having a heated debate about one thing or another. One that starred Will cleverly blindsiding Ironhide by saying, "You hate me, don't you?"

"What?" Ironhide pauses. He shakes his head, frown on his face. "No, of course not. You are my best friend."

Will grins. "I know, I'm just messing with you."

"I see," Ironhide says thoughtfully. "But I'm still right."

"No, you aren't," Will insists. "Spend twenty more years on Earth, then we'll talk."

"Fine, you grow twenty more feet, first." With that Ironhide turns and walks away, a proud smirk on his face, leaving a baffled Will behind.

There was a sped up video of Jacobs painting First Aid. Sam was a little surprised on how much time and effort was put into it. He had to wonder if Jacobs at one time pursued painting or some other kind of artsy thing for his future instead of NEST. Keeping in mind that NEST wasn't an organization when Jacobs was a kid. Either way, a part of Sam still wonders if being an artist is one of his aspirations or if it's something that he just does to pass time.

There is a few others of other Autobot/NEST operatives interactions. Some got laughs, others awws. Sam spent most of his time watching the faces of the people, trying to judge how this will all end. As expected, not everything went perfectly but for the most part, this entire thing was successful. There hasn't yet been a bout of mass hysteria and panic yet, which is a pro.

The final segment of the Reveal is the short question and answer. Or, what Sam hopes is short. After the projector goes black and the people return their attention to Sam, he takes a deep breath and asked the dreaded words, "Any questions?"

And there were, lots of them.

"Hi, I'm Tessa," Tessa says, clearing her throat. "I have a few." Sam nods for her to continue. "First; who was the first Autobot you met?"

Sam smiles at that one. "Easy, Bumblebee."

"And how did you meet him?"

Sam laughs, looking over at his yellow friend on the sidelines. Big blue eyes star back and Sam could practically drowned in the affection filling those orbs. "He was actually my first car. I got him at a used car lot for like four thousand dollars, if I remember correctly."

"So what your saying is, you got him cheap?" a boy in the crowd yells.

It's clear who the young people in the crowd are, because they are the ones that laugh the loudest. Sam tries to not think about how it kind of is true. Sam did get him cheap, he was at a used car lot, but they are talking... more seductive means. Sam had to look away from Bumblebee's orbs, his face already warming up.

"Anyway," Sam attempts to move on smoothly. Which only gives him more giggles from the younger generation.

"I have one more," Tessa says. Sam nods.

"Go on."

"Yes, okay. How many of these Cybertronians are there?"

Sam shrugs. "An entire planets worth. I have no definite number. Next." Sam looks around the sea of hands and calls to pick on them. Sam feels like he's back in school with a bunch of small children. He points to a boy a few feet away from Tessa. "You."

"Yeah, Johnny, here, so I was wondering why the bad guys were looking for you a couple years ago."

Sam rubs the back of his neck, knowing full well what Johnny was talking about. A part of him was seriously hoping that that would somehow magically disappear from everyones' memories, but it seems like that is too much to ask for. "Um, that was around the time of the attack on Egypt. I had obtained knowledge regarding the Matrix I was telling you guys about. It's the key to activating the sun destroyer. They wanted to stop me from giving it to Optimus." Sam shrugs like it was no big deal. Sam has never been a good liar, so long as he gives bits of truth, he should be fine, right?

"And what exactly is the current role you play within this whole Autobots group?" Johnny asks.

Sam gestures around him. "This, really. I'm kind of the pipeline that connects the people to the Autobots and vise versa. I keep an eye on them and make sure people know what's going on. I keep them in touch with human laws and so on."

"How about the Autobots," Johnny asks. "What do they think about Earth so far. I mean that gray female, uh, Dustyrose, talked about it, but what about some others?"

Sam looks over at Optimus. "You want to answer?"

Optimus nods. "I believe that humanity is a young and intelligent race. I think that there is still so much that each and every one of you as individuals can offer this world. and I think each is something great. I do believe that though I am sure there is much you can learn from us, I am positive that there is much that we can learn from you." That won the crowd over immensely. I haven't met a human out there that doesn't enjoy their ego being stroked even if it's only just a little. "Since coming here, I have learned a lot about humanity in general and about humans in specific. I know that there is still more to learn." People cheer and clap at that one. Sam shakes his head, impressed. Optimus really knows how to work the crowds.

"Why are they here on Earth?" Someone else asks.

"They were here for the All Spark, which was destroyed," Sam says.

"Since that thing, the All Spark thing, is gone, why are they still here?" the voice asks.

Sam looks around, suddenly nervous. It's true, there really isn't a reason for them to stay here anymore. They came here to look for the All Spark and now that it's destroyed and Optimus has the Matrix, there isn't really a reason for them to stay, other than, you know, a portion of their planet is floating in Earth's atmosphere. That's it!

Sam points up to the chunk of Cybertron. "If they were not here, they would have no where else to go, really. Right there, that's their home planet, you know, just floating here. Where else can they go?" Now, Sam didn't know if that was necessarily true. Maybe there was other Cybertronian settlements out there, he hadn't asked, but it seemed to be a solid argument.

"What is your part in all of this? How are you involved?" Someone asks. Sam looks around and spots someone with a cloak on, the hood pulled over their face.

Sam raises an eyebrow. "Ah, okay..."

"Dark," they say. "Call me Dark."

"Okay, Dark," Sam says slowly. "Megatron crashed here a long time ago, before any of the Autobots showed up, looking for the Cube. He crashed in Antarctica and froze over. My great grandfather, Archibald Witwicky found him and accidently activated some tracking devise that Megatron had on the Cube. Where the Cube was located imprinted on my grandfather's glasses so Bumblebee found me so that he could get to the glasses and learn the location of the Cube."

"Aren't you afraid of being stepped on?" someone yells in the crowd. Sam looks around trying to locate it, but he isn't able to.

He takes a moment to think about the question. It was a legit concern after all. Humans are drastically smaller then most of the Cybertronians. Given that Wheelie and Brains are smaller then him but he hasn't met much else.

"Ah," he hums. "Yes and no, yes because they're big robots and them stepping on someone, while it probably won't kill them it would still at least hurt them, and no, because they wouldn't intentionally do that. They are watching their feet and trying their hardest to avoid that situation. I understand that accidents happen and I also understand the need for a bit of caution. Humans should look out too. We have the same issue with small animals like cats and dogs. Just be careful and aware."

"What kind of weapons and fire power do they have?" a reporter asks and Sam feels his heart rate speed up.

"As it could be a threat to... national security, I cannot disclose that information," Sam says, recited words that Mearing has drilled into his brain.

The reporter looks suspicious. "And how do you know that they won't turn on us?"

Sam swallows thickly, fighting the desire to reach up and loosen his tie. He swallows again and says, hoping that he at least looked convinced himself of his own words, "They are my friends. I trust them with my life. They didn't have to help us out with the Harvester in Egypt, and they didn't have to help when the government kicked them off the planet back during the Chicago incident, but they did and that makes them good in my book. But that's how I know they won't betray us. But you want to know how you can be assured that they won't betray us, and I can't do that. There is no definite way of knowing. The best that you can hope for, is that I know what I'm doing and what I'm talking about. And I do. Next question."

"What is the story of their home?" another reporter asks.

Sam glances down at his watch. "That's something that we can't get into today, I'm afraid."

"Lieutenant Major Lennox," Someone shouts. "How did you know that you could trust these people and not the others?"

The cameras zoom in on Will and he stands up a little bit straighter. "I didn't at first, but in a battle, the best way to find an ally in a war zone is most likely going to be the guy that isn't shooting at you as opposed to the one that is." That gets a small murmur of laughter in the crowd. That was wonderful. Short, simple and to the point. A bit of envy blossomed in Sam's chest. Will is just too good.

"Why do you guys change into cars?" another person shouts.

"Well, kid, we can't very well turn into toaster ovens," Ironhide grunts, leaning back and crossing his arms. People outright laugh at that.

Optimus shakes his head at that. He takes a step closer, his voice projecting."What Ironhide oh so graciously tried to say, we must turn transform into something that nearing proportions to our size. The bigger the bot, the bigger the machine. That's why Arcee is a motorcycle and I am a semi. We can compact ourselves pretty well but we can't really make ourselves too much bigger then ourselves. Is that understandable?" There is a murmur in the crowd that Sam only assumes was a positive in that understanding because Optimus nods and steps back again.

"I have a question!" someone else calls.

"And you are?" Sam asks.

The person steps out of the crowd a bit. "I'm Only the Once."

People laugh a little at that. Sam blinks a few times, slowly. These people. They must be so interesting to have a conversation with. It's almost like all the internet junkies have converged on this area. Oh god, what if they did? Sam tries to hide his horror. "Uh, okay. What was your question?"

"So, about these Decepticon guys, you said that their leader was dead or broken or whatever and they were able to simply rebuild him? If those creepy dudes did all that damage and can come back alive so easily and if they are as big as these autobot guys what the heck do you plan to do about it? As you said they are gone "for now" so I am assuming they are all off fixing each other and coming back to kill us right?"

Sam bulks at the question. He wasn't really sure how to answer that question. Yes, Sam wasn't exactly a hundred percent sure about what was going to happen, or even what really happened with Megatron but that was really just the basic understanding that he had.

He hesitates in answering, his throat feels clogged and his mouth is cotton dry. "No, I think we are done with Megatron. From what I understand, he was still somewhat alive. The Decepticons were able to fix his body."

"Yes, Mr. Witwicky, I'm Lady Death Strike and I was wondering if we can expect more arrivals of both factions on the planet?"

Sam looks around for this Lady Death Strike, but can't seem to accurately locate her. "I would assume yes, but there is no way to know for certain right now."

"What are some of the hobbies of the team?" Lady Death Strike asks.

"There isn't really much. It's been kind of hectic on base for a while, so there really isn't anything that sticks out." Sam smiles. "But who knows?"

Someone next to Lady Death Strike steps forward. "So you said that Cybertronians are just like humans, right? So, does that mean they're like humans in all ways, if you catch my drift?"

Sam shakes his head. "No, I don't-" he gasps. He shakes his head really fast, clearing his throat uncomforable and looks around frantically. "Any other questions?"

"But you didn't answer-"

"Any others?" Sam interrupts. He anxiously runs his hand up and down his dress pants, trying to look anywhere but at-shit! Don't look at Bee. He turns sharply away. "None?" he croaks. Wait, is Will's shoulders shaking? Is he laughing?

"How can we be safe from our own machines? Is there a chance that more of these bad guys could show up without you knowing?" Someone yells. Sam feels like he's suffering from a severe case of whip lash. It's so hard to find these people asking questions.

Sam's eyes race over the crowd, the heat starting to get to him. He's thirsty, tired, and wound up so tight an unwarranted flex of any muscle in his body might just snap him in half. "Uh, we are closely monitoring the skies. If anything enters our... our atmosphere, we'd know one way or another. I do not believe you should start fearing your household appliances. The Decepticons have gone into hiding, it is... unlikely that they would try anything. Without their leader, it is believed that the Decepticons' next move would probably be to flee the planet."

"Question for Sam, what was their home world like before the war? Was it anything like ours or was it completely different?" A girl in front of Will asks. She sends him a charming smile before looking back up at Sam. "Oh, I'm Lynn Knight, by the way."

Sam rubs the back of his neck, looking at his watch. "Well, time is running out, but I'll tell you what, Lynn Knight, my next conference will cover that. How's that?" She deflated a little but nodded regardless. Sam smiles tiredly. "Thank you everyone! Until next time!" With a little wave, Sam turns and heads back to the door.

Behind him, he could hear the Autobots moving and Optimus's signature, "Autobots; roll out!" And the sound of rapid transformation. People whoop and cheer and clap and cat call, all as Sam and the Autobots depart. They are immediately heading back to base, all spreading out in the city and taking different routes home. It's some sort of safety procedure that Sam didn't quite understand, but that was Will's and Prowl's department. He knew that they knew what they were doing, so he is just going to let them handle it.

Will, that bastard. Laughing at his expense. Scaring him into thinking that there could have been a sniper in the crowd or on a building top waiting to take him out. He practically ruined most of this entire experience.

Sam smiles lightly, tiredly. No, this wasn't ruined. It went pretty well. Sam can't really complain. It went far better then he dared to hope. Everything might just be okay. The next step was to get Sam on the helicopter and get him out of there, just in case someone... comes looking for him. And besides that, people with guns were looking for him. Maybe there was a bit of legitimacy in Will's joking about a sniper.

Sam shivers and lets NEST lead him to the roof and into the helicopter, it taking off minutes later. People kept saying things to Sam; while he was walking to the roof, while he was riding in the helicopter back to the Autobot base, and even when he got there, hours later. He didn't hear any of them, but he could probably venture to guess that they were congratulating him on the successful Reveal. Sam feels like he's floating on cloud nine, a blissful numbness over him.

The first thing Sam does when he gets home, after getting patted on the back and spoken to by people his eyes couldn't really make out and words that sounded too far away from him to hear accurately, was to take a shower. He peels off sticky clothes that he didn't even know he was sweating so profusely in until now. It all falls to a pile on the floor and he steps out.

The water is scalding on his bare back, but Sam closes his eyes and forces himself to relax, his heart pounding. Is he still stressed out of him mind? Of course. Is he relieved, regardless? Naturally. Is he still worried about how this could turn out? Without a doubt. Does he at least feel a little better now that he's gotten through the initial shock relatively unscathed? Hell yeah, he is. He could believe that it might actually work out. Everything might just be okay.

Sam washes his hair and body, reaching back to rub his shoulders, trying desperately to knead out the months of stress that have built up. He slowly lowers to the bottom of the tub and curls up, closing his eyes. It's hard to get himself to relax even under the water that slowly becoming more and more bearable. He clears his mind and just closes his eyes, trying to escape. He's so overwhelmed. He's happy, tired, excited, anxious, worried and frightened but most of all he's okay. He's not going to fall apart. That's not him. He's strong. But second to that; he's numb. He's currently going through sensory overload.

Sam isn't all that sure how long he sat beneath the spray of the showerhead before he finally motivated himself to move. He reaches up and turns the water off, and then returns to his previous position. He stays like that for a long time too, skin quickly cooling as the steam clears from the room. Sam doesn't move until he's shaking uncontrollably.

He dresses in jeans and a tee-shirt, then as an after thought, puts on his old "D-Day" jacket that he had affectionately called it. This was one of the things that he would never throw away. It was something that he took with him everywhere. Yeah, it was a little ratter (or a lot) but he had managed to convince Carly to patch it up a bit. Sure it wasn't back to how it used to be, but it still worked and it still served it's purpose.

Sam slowly lowers himself to his bed and lays falls against it's cushy comfort. His back burns. It's like that ache that you get when your stiff or wound up and your finally relaxing. Sam lets out a long, drawn out sigh of relief. Sam's eyes droop closed. Yeah, it's dark out, but if he gets up now he could still get some dinner in him before bed.

As appealing as the thought was, it wasn't as appealing at the comfort that his bed offered. Maybe he could spend the next two weeks sleeping. People would let that slide, right? Is someone were to stab Sam right now, he would literally bleed stress. He's practically bursting at the seams. Now that the first step has been taken, there is no more preparing. He just has to be ready for whatever ends up happening.

Sam must have drifted to sleep because the next thing he knows, someone is shaking him awake. It's Robert. He grins down at a bleary eyed Sam.

"Hey, sunshine. Come with me," he says, grabbing Sam beneath the arm and helping him up into a sitting position, and then into his shoes. Next thing Sam knows he's being blasted in the face by the chilly night air. Sam jolts into awareness but only for a few steps before he stumbles and exhaustion begins to take over once more. Robert is relentless, leading Sam down the dark and chilly streets like he's on a mission.

"Where are we going, Robert?" Sam asks, teeth chattering.

Robert doesn't even look back or sympathize in the least, not at all sorry for waking Sam from a dead sleep. "You'll see."

"What time is it?" Sam slurs slightly, shaking himself briskly to try and wake himself up.

Robert looks down at his watch. "'Bout 10:30, now hurry it up, Sam. My grandmother moves faster then you, and she's got arthritis."

Sam snorts a bit, smiling faintly. "In her hips, knees or ankles?"

"That doesn't matter."

Sam laughs. "In this situation, it kind of does."

Robert grabs Sam's shoulder and marches him through a door right as a chorus of people shout: "Surprise!" Sam jumps, eyes wide. They are in the Autobot hanger which is filled to the brim with Autobots, base staff and NEST soldiers. All of them whooping and hollering and cheering.

Sam looks around like a deer caught in the headlights. "What?"

"Congratulations, Sam, you did it!" Sunstreaker says. "You actually pulled this Reveal thing off."

"Sunstreaker doubted you," Sideswipe says, standing next to his brother. "He's a shitty friend."

"I did not, and fuck off Sideswipe."

Sam laughs, finally getting some sense of awareness. He blinks a few times and rubs his eyes roughly. When the spots on his vision clears a young boy with bright blond hair and vibrant blue eyes smiles at him in the most brilliantly, blinding smiles Sam has ever seen. Maybe it was the All Spark. Maybe it was because said boy was his best friend, the best friend he hasn't gotten to spend as much time with as he would like. Maybe it was because he was half asleep. Whichever way it ended up being, the next thing Sam knew, he was in Bumblebee's human arms.

Sam closes his eyes tightly, squeezing Bumblebee as hard as he can.

Bumeblebee's love for him didn't matter right now. The fact they were in a crowded room filled with people didn't matter. The fact that this could be one of the last peaceful moments the two of them share ever again didn't matter. And just like that, in Bumblebee's arms, all of the stress turns into butterflies and flutters away. The weight that has been holding Sam down for so long is temporarily lifted. Did the All Spark do this? Was this what it meant to be in the arms of your soul mate? Of your spark mate?

Sam didn't know the answers. At this moment, he didn't care to know them. All he does know, and cares to know, is that Bumblebee is here, with him right now, safe and sound and if judging by the way people reacted while in the presences of the Autobots, he might be for the rest of Sam's life. And he can live with that. He really can.

Bumblebee holds him back equally as tight, but still being mindful not to actually hurt Sam. The young human hero could almost tangibly feel the young Autobots happiness.

Maybe... maybe being Bumblebee's spark mate wasn't the end of the world. Sam still doesn't know what exactly he's going to do about it, but at least this isn't a bad feeling. Being in Bumblebee's arms. Sam didn't know what being a spark mate entailed but whatever it was, he's sure Bumblebee would never force anything upon Sam that he wouldn't want.

But enough about that. Enough worrying about the future. Sam really will get stress ulcers from this. Now, it's time to think about now. For this single moment, everyone is safe and sound. And that is all that matters.

After that, Sam greets everyone. All the personnel and Autobots. They congratulate him and pat him on the back and spend a few minutes each getting their two-cents in. It's not really a party but everyone is there, talking, mingling and just enjoying the fact that it's done. And relishing whatever peace this night could offer before the horrors of tomorrow show their ugly faces.

"Sam," Optimus says. Sam turns to see the old Prime in his holo form, smiling kindly at Sam. "I am so proud of you, Sam. You did so well."

Sam couldn't control himself, he walked over to the taller man and wrapped his arms around him tightly, stunning the Autobot. Sam's not usually a very touchy feely person but today he was. Probably due to the All Spark. That's got to be it.

"Optimus," Sam whispers into the Autobot's tense human shoulder. "You will never fully understand exactly what your words mean to me and how much what you did today will always be one of the most fondest memories I will look back on. Thank you."

Optimus, stiff as a board, slowly melts and awkwardly pats Sam's back. "Thank you, Sam. You have done us a great service at the risk of your own health and well being. And you will never fully understand exactly what your words mean to me and how much what you did today will always be one of my most fondest memories. There are no words accurate enough in either of our languages that could do it justice." Optimus's voice is like a thunderstorm off in the distance, rumbling and powerful.

There was no need to say anything else. Everything that had to be said, was and everything that can be conveyed is. There is no need to fill the silence with anything more than a pure, serene silence.

Sam finally pulls himself away from the Autobot leader and gives him the biggest most genuine smile he's given in a long time.


	17. We need to talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I'm so sorry about the wait. I don't really know how I feel about this chapter, but here it is. The next chapter is going to be exciting! Thanks to everyone for their kind words and comments! Until next time. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 5,161

"Let's go out today."

Sam, Will and Robert all look up at Maggie standing next to them. She lays her tray down next to Robert and sits.

"What?" Robert asks, eyebrow raised.

"You heard me. So, what do you guys say?" Maggie flashes them all an award winning smile. Maggie looks at Robert, then Will and finally, Sam. Her big blue eyes lock onto his doe brown. "Come on, Sam. It could be fun. And besides it's a nice way to wipe the last adventure with the scary ending from our minds."

Sam makes a face at that. "Well, our last adventure wasn't anywhere close to being in my mind, but thanks for bringing it back up again."

Maggie shrugs. "Well, what do you say?"

Sam looks at Will. The army man smiles wryly and shrugs helplessly. Sam looks to Robert to see a similar reaction. Sam leads his eyes over to a smiling Maggie. She blinks at him very slowly, those mile long eyelashes are like butterfly wings flapping in the wind.

Sam sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. The last two days have been hectic. He gave his speech and then spent the next day looking through emails and responses. All of the reviews have been mixed. Some have been optimistic. Intrigued by the fact that there are super cool aliens out there. Others were totally freaked out by the thought that there is life out there besides humans. And then there is some that are cool about some things and iffy about others. It's the natural order of things. Not everyone can be so open.

Still, it's better than what Sam could hope for. Maybe some time off would do him some good. He can already feel sickness rearing up on him. Tossing and turning at night, stuffy nose in the mornings and just before breakfast, Sam sneezed like a billion times. So either someone is talking about him nonstop or he's getting sick and it's probably from the stress, just like he feared it would have been.

"What did you have in mind, Maggie?" Sam asks.

Maggie pushes her sausage circles around her plate. Her eyebrows pull together in thought, eyes lulling back in forth in her head trying to think of something. "I don't know, how about something low key? I mean you are famous now and I seriously doubt there is anyone in the world who hasn't at least heard your name before. So, sticking close?"

Sam nods. "Sounds good."

"I think that everyone should have a little bit of fun, don't you think?" Robert says. "Remember the other day during the Reveal? Someone had asked if the Autobots had any hobbies and it's painfully obvious that they wouldn't. At least to us. But it doesn't mean we cant do something to remedy that."

Will nods slowly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I kinda go for Robert's idea. I'm all for slacking off."

Sam makes a face at that. "I bet you are." He sits back, looking around at the room full of people. Autobots, staff and NEST soldiers. All just talking and chatting, mostly about stuff they saw on the news or read online regarding the Autobots.

"We... got some footballs that we could throw around. Just head out to the field and mess around. I think we have some games or something. You know, something to release our inner children. Get over all of this serious stuff," Will suggests.

Sam laughs. "Like that's what we need. You want me to give permission for half the base, Autobots included and day staff included, to go out for a base picnic twenty meters outside this room?"

"Of course not," Robert says, looking over at Will. The ring leader nods slightly. "We were thinking more like the entire base."

Sam snorts at that. "Does anyone but me remember when I said I wasn't doing this again?"

Will shakes his head, chewing on some bacon. He swallows. "I do, and if I recall that was just in talking to Prowl about letting some of the Autobots leave the base. They aren't leaving the base. See? So you're not going it again." And insert charming Lennox smile.

Maggie and Robert laugh. Maggie claps while Robert points at him, "He's got a point, Witwicky."

Sam laughs sarcastically and shakes his head. "No he does, Epps. Guess who we still have to talk to to see if anyone can even be part of it?"

That shuts all of them up which brings Sam a little bit of satisfaction. Even though he really blew holes in all of their words and plans, he actually did like the idea of not doing anything that has any remote connection to the Reveal. This could be good for him.

"You guys just want the afternoon off," Sam says, smiling.

"Perhaps," Maggie says, "but I have a friend who just gave an ultra important speech and is in some desperate need of some rest and relaxation. So, think of this entire thing as therapeutic." Will and Robert both nod, giving Sam a "you can't argue with logic" look.

Sam laughs. "I'm just messing with you guys. I actually do think that maybe some relaxing time will do us all some good. I know everyone has been working hard since I've taken over and I haven't really gotten around to thanking them yet. How about this, tomorrow. Get some stuff for everyone to do, get people to take out the picnic benches and give our lovely cafeteria workers enough time to prepare some lunch for tomorrow and spread the word. I'll talk to Optimus and Prowl and see if either of them have a problem with it, deal?"

Maggie bounces up and down excitedly. "Yes! Thanks, Sam!"

Will and Robert high five one another and Sam gets the inkling that he was played, but it doesn't matter. Everything has been so stressful lately that a little relaxing one afternoon shouldn't be the end of the world. But just because they take the day off, doesn't mean the world stops moving. They still have to be on alert for Decepticons or possible entries into the atmosphere.

Sam quickly finishes off his breakfast and says his goodbyes. Sam makes his way to the Central Intelligence building. Naturally Prowl is there, overseeing everything. Making sure all of the Autobots are were they need to be and that everyone has something to do.

"Prowl," Sam calls.

The red Autobot turns away from a wall full of monitors showing all kids of different places on the base to look at the small human hero. "Yes? Is there something that I can do for you, Sam?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if there was anything overly important going on tomorrow?"

Prowl tilts his head. "Everything we do is important. I need you to be specific on what is considered 'overly'."

"Like life or death," Sam says.

Prowl's eyes adapt the far away look that comes with either checking ones schedule or communicating with one another through comm link. After a few minutes of silence, Prowl's eyes come back into focus. "No, I suppose there is nothing going on tomorrow that fits the criteria."

Sam smiles. "Good, I was hoping you were going to say that. Listen, everyone has been working so hard since I got here a couple of months ago and I was thinking, with a little help from Will, Maggie, and Robert, that a break would do everyone some good. Just an afternoon for everyone to relax and spend some time together. I was asking because it's going to be a base wide thing and I wanted to know if you would give as many Autobots as you can the afternoon off."

Prowl looks uncomfortable. "What are they going to do? Where are they going?"

"We're going to stay on base and just have a huge picnic out in the west field," Sam says, shrugging.

Prowl still looks a little less uncomfortable. "I suppose it would be alright. It is only for the afternoon, correct?"

Sam nods. "Yeah, probably like two to four hours. Not too long. Just long enough for people to hang out, maybe play some games or something. So, is it okay?"

"Have you spoken to Optimus about it yet?"

"No," Sam says, running a hand through his hair, "I wanted to make sure there was nothing going on tomorrow first. I'll go talk to him now."

Prowl nods. "Very well. It's fine with me whatever Optimus decides to do. Let me know once you've finished talking to him."

Sam turns and heads out. "Will do. Later!"

Sam finds Optimus staring out over the west field. Which Sam found a little ironic, but decided not to comment on it. Optimus looks solemn and even a little sad. Sam thought back to the time he had asked Optimus if they could go out to the mall. There was something bothering him then too. Something he said he wanted to deal with himself. But the more Sam thought about it, then the more Sam thought about how tough it must be to think about a world's worth of problems for one person to handle.

But Optimus holds on. He maintains this aura of power and control. Back straight and confident. Lots of lives rely on him. Optimus is a Prime. The last living descendent of the Primes. Everything that Optimus does is a reflection of the Primes of years passed plus his choices and action effect more than just him. It effects the entirety of the Cybertronian race. Well, mostly the Autobots.

Sam has to wonder if Optimus thinks about Cybertron a lot. If he wonders how things could have been different. If maybe he hadn't removed the All Spark from Cybertron, would things have ended differently. If there was some way to get passed the All Spark being gone. If he made a huge mistake trusting Sam with the All Spark to begin with.

Sam knew that Optimus would never say any of this to him but he had to wonder.

"Sam?"

Sam blinks slowly, looking up to see Optimus staring at him. He shakes his head swiftly, shoving those thoughts to the back of his mind. Optimus didn't look upset or worried or like he was struggling to get over some internal strife. He just... looked like Optimus.

"Hey Big Guy," Sam says. "Do you have time to talk?"

Optimus kneels down to near eye level, or at least as far down as he can go. "Yes, of course. What do you want to talk about, Sam?"

"Let's talk about tomorrow."

So, naturally, the base was more then okay with the idea of having a paid afternoon off. Sam expected as much, but it still brought a smile to his face. A bunch of picnic benches were pulled out. There were footballs and chess boards and packed lunches, courtesy of the kitchen staff, and a bunch of other stuff. People utilize all of the toys but mostly they use it to socialize, which is fine. It was one of the main reasons for this outing in the first place.

After lunch, Sam and Maggie sit in the grass watching Ironhide, Will, Robert and some other NEST and Autobots in holo form playing football. Sam lays onto his back and closes his eye, relaxing under the warm rays of the sun. It's drawing closer and closer to Christmas. Fall is about upon them. Today was a relatively warm day considering. Sam's chest is heavy and he has a slight headache. That stress endused cold is starting to rear it's ugly head.

Sam's eyes droops closed.

The next thing Sam knew, he was in the world of swirls. Floating blissfully in that world. Sam could feel the steady, powerful beats of the sparks of all of the Autobots around him. They were so close. Like a protective army of soldiers around him. But there was something this time that he didn't notice before: a looming presence. It's not a dark one. Just an omnious one. But Sam isn't afraid of it, in fact, if Sam had to guess there was almost something... protective about it.

Sam feels himself orient once more and he opens his eyes to see himself standing. He looks around and admires the swirls once more, something that he has done every time he's seen them. There was just something special, and even a bit foreboding, about them being the life cycle of a planet. Then Sam sees the familiar blue light, the one he saw earlier. But it was far closer, burning like a sun in his eyes. Sam forces himself to look away, less he lose all sight in both eyes. But there was something different about the light. It wasn't a complete circle like Sam had originally thought it was. It almost appeared malformed.

Almost as if there was two lights.

The lights twinkle brightly; happily, Sam would dare to say. But how did he figure that? Probably the All Sparks' doing.

But then something happens. The gently bright and dim of the blue lights falter, then speed up, like a heart racing. Faster and faster, shifting closer and closer until Sam feels like he's being burned alive and he has to turn away, squeezing his eyes closed tightly. Keep his back to the light. It doesn't hurt as much that way.

"...am..."

A gust of air almost knocks Sam over.

"...am..!"

Another gust of wind. This time his eyes are forcefully ripped open and Sam sees himself, laying in the grass. He steps a little closer and he can see that his face is colorless, the cold breeze ineffective. And his lips are gray. He looks... dead.

"Sam!" Maggie screams, shaking his shoulder. She looks up, no one hears her. They are too busy talking. They're too loud. "Ratchet!" There are tears in her eyes as she searches for the old war medic. Her face is drained of color.

She looks down at Sam, shaking him hard. His body flops around like a doll. Trembling, Maggie climbs to her feet and darts to one of the many benches, passing right through the incorporeal Sam. She almost falls climbing on top of it, knocking over some woman's drink onto her lap.

"Hey! What the hell?" The woman snaps, standing up.

Maggie ignores her and stands tall. Sam can see her knees shaking. "Ratchet!" Maggie screams, her voice rising. "Ratchet!" People nearby slow to a stop. People start to stare. They see her panicked look and a NEST soldier spins around.

"Ratchet!" Now people are quieting down, looking around for the old bot.

"He's not here," Sunstreaker says. "He's back at medbay. What do you need him-?" Sunstreaker, who was walking toward Maggie, stops at the horrified look on her pale face. "What's the matter?"

"Is something wrong?" Optimus asks, drawling closer.

"Ratchet, we need Ratchet!" Maggie yells, tears thickening her voice, her trembling increased. Sam could only stare numbly at his friends, unable to muster a thought or feeling.

"Maggie, what happened?" Optimus asks, drawing closer to the crying girl.

"It's Sam, Optimus, he's dead!"

Sam felt a dark cloud settle over the gathered crowd. At first Optimus seemed confused, like he wasn't sure he heard her right, but then Sam saw Bumblebee rush over to where he could see the other Sam laying in the grass, peacefully, as if asleep.

Bumblebee kneels down next to the sleeping Sam and scans his body. A millisecond later he's jolted, as if shocked. He scans again and again. Over and over and over again. Then he stops and just stares for a long moment. And then a heart splitting wail comes from the yellow and black Autobot and that's enough to break the daze holding over everyone. Optimus is by Bumblebee's side in moments, ordering someone to get Ratchet and for First Aid to get over there right now.

Arcee takes off toward the medbay, face contorted in worry and forcing herself to go fast then she has ever gone before, trying to radio in to Ratchet.

People can barely hear over Bumblebee's horrible wailing. The camero dips closer picking up Sam's body and cradling in to his chassis, rocking back and forth, looking around as if completely lost. That's when the soul wrenching sobs started: "No, not Sam. Not my Sam. Not again. No, not Sam. Not my Sam. Please, not my Sam." The incorporeal Sam dimly wondered to himself if Bumblebee should be using his voice. It must hurt.

Bumblebee is shaking his head and trembling uncontrollably, looking down at Sam, scanning him over and over again, as if the next scan will be different than the one before it. Optimus watches Bumblebee cradle the human with this look of unbelievable pain on his face. First Aid drops on Bumblebee's other side and scans him. A compartment in his arm snaps open and he looks through the readings.

The normally timid Autobot looks calm and composed, completely in his element. After a second or two of looking, he says, "I need to see him, Bumblebee."

Bumblebee can't hear him, he's too fixated on Sam's face, mumbling to himself. That, or he's already resigned to losing Sam.

Optimus shakes with fury. "Ironhide, Cliffjumper, hold Bumblebee back." Optimus orders. Two don't move. Their frozen in place. "Now!" Optimus snaps and the two jolt back into reality, rushing forward to obey. Bumblebee struggles when he feels them grab him, but their strength is superior. First Aid plucks Sam from Bumblebee's grip and places him back into the grass.

He scans Sam again and then points one finger down at Sam's chest, more specifically, Sam's heart. The first zap only shook incorporeal Sam a bit. The second made lighting appear in his vision. The third made Sam feel numb. In the background, Sam could hear Bumblebee keeing in pain and pure agony, struggling against Ironhide and Cliffjumper. They hold strong.

Bumblebee falls to his knees, as if the burden of standing took much more strength then he had to expend.

Arcee and Ratchet appear a few minutes later. Ratchet lowers himself next to First Aid.

"What's the status?"

First Aid shakes his head, mournful look on his face. "I can't get his heart to start."

Ratchet scans his body and incorporeal feels all tingling. "What happened?"

"He just... fell asleep like fifteen minutes ago. I-I-I went to the bathroom and grabbed myself-f an apple and when I got back... he was... he was..." Maggie shakes like a leaf. Will pulls her tight against him.

Ratchet looks through his scans shaking his head in bewilderment. "There is no cause of death. No aneurisms, no hemorrhaging, no nothing. He's exhausted but nothing that isn't-" Ratchet gasps.

"What? What did you see?" Optimus asks, anxiously.

Ratchet shakes his head. "That's impossible," Ratchet mutters to himself then scans Sam again and checks.

"What is it, Ratchet?" Optimus asks again.

Ratchet looks up at Optimus. "Sam has no heartbeat, that makes him dead, but there is still brain activity, which would insinuate coma."

Optimus looks confused. "Is he in a coma?"

"No," Ratchet shakes his head. "His body is shutting down. The heart has stopped, the living is slowing to a stop, as is the kidneys and the stomach. Everything. Except his brain."

"Isn't human brains suppose to be active a couple of minutes after their death?" Sunstreaker asks, then flinches at his own words.

"Sometimes, but not for this long and not like this," Ratchet says. "By his brain activity... it appears as though he's... sleeping?"

Optimus still looks confused. "So what does that mean?"

Ratchet shakes his head slowly. "I have no idea." The gathered crowd looks around at a loss for words.

Sam turns away from the scene. He can't look anymore, he feels completely numb inside. He knows what he should feel; anger, fear, wonder, confusion. But he doesn't. It's like someone clicked the off switch on his emotions and something tells him it might have been the All Spark. But Sam couldn't wrap his mind around it. Why would the All Spark want him to see this? See his friends panicking over his...

Did they say he's dead?

Sam thinks back on the heaviness and the cold, every time he awoke from one of those dreams. He thought about Sideswipe, being unable to find him on a roof top, even if he did scan it. So at least that means there was nothing wrong with Sideswipe, but that also means for the last couple of months, nearly every night after he falls asleep, Sam... dies. His heart stops and his body shuts down.

Why didn't Sam have a normal dream like he usually does? Sure Sam learned that he died, but that's now something he'll never hear the end of, but he can't help but wonder if there was another reason for this? Although, unfortunately, Sam has no idea what that could possibly be.

The edges of his vision darkens and his ear feel stuffed. His stomach drops and his chest feels heavy. The next thing he knows, he's cold, freezing cold. His body feels heavy, along with the cold. His hearing sharpens and what he hears, is quiet crying. Now so much crying as is it whimpers. Delicate, crushed little whimpers. And Sam knew exactly who's they were.

"Bumblebee," Sam murmurs, opening his eyes a bit only to squeeze them shut against the blinding light from the sun.

The little whimpers quiet down a bit.

"Bee..." Sam says softly. "Come here, buddy..."

The whimpering stops completely. There is a long moment of silence before the sound of shifting metal. One set gets closer. One set gets further away. Sam slowly opens his eyes to gaze up at two bright blue eyes shining down on him. Sam smiles lightly and lifts a shaky hand up toward the lights.

"It's okay, Bee. I'm okay."

Bumblebee leans closer so Sam's shaking hand rests against his vocalizer.

Sam blinks a few times so that Bumblebee's face comes into focus. He smiles a little more solidly. "Don't cry, Bee. Okay?"

Bumblebee nods soft enough to not dislodge Sam's loose grip on his vocalizer.

Sam sits up slowly, ignoring Ratchet and Bumblebee's protests and the protests of his weak body. "Man, the All Spark is a real bitch."

Ratchet and First Aid both scan Sam's body over and over again, trying to find something that would show them what happened, but their scans show that Sam is weak and his organs are slowly starting back up like nothing was wrong. Like it was perfectly normal for the human body to shut down for a little bit almost every day.

"Sam," Ratchet says quietly. "Did the All Spark do this?"

Sam runs the hand that's not touching Bumblebee's vocalizer, through his hair. "I guess so. That would explain why I feel like.. well... death every time I wake up after having one of those dreams."

"Sam," Optimus looks down at the human hero, "why didn't you tell us?"

The brown haired boy shook his head. "I didn't think anything of it. Yeah it was weird, but at what point in my life can I differentiate what's considered normal and what's considered weird?"

"Optimus is right Sam, you should have mentioned it at least," Ratchet says.

"You know," Sam drops his hand from Bumblebee's vocalizer. "I never noticed it until now, but there was something in common with most of the nights that I didn't have the dreams."

"And that was?" Ratchet asks.

"I was either in the Medbay with you, Ratchet, or I was sleeping in the Autobot hanger with you guys." Sam rubs his face, curiously. "Weird."

"Why is that?" Ratchet asks himself more than anyone else.

Optimus's metal brows pull together in thought. "Could have something to do with some form of desire from the All Spark itself?"

Ratchet shrugs. "You think the All Spark has a will?"

Sam rolls his eyes. "I can guarantee that it does. It's been forcing it's will upon me since day one."

Bumblebee looks completely torn. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Sam looks up at his guardian. "Like I said, Bee, I didn't think it meant anything. Or at least anything that anyone would be able to understand. This has never happened before."

"We could try to understand it," Bumblebee says.

Sam smiles. "Maybe. But there didn't seem to be anything wrong. Sure I got weird dreams, and sometimes I woke up with pains that could be explained by sleeping wrong or whatever," he pauses, looking down. "Don't you see, Bee? The last thing I want is to go around making a big deal out of something that can't be controlled. I hardly doubt that if the All Spark has some kind of agenda, it'll hardly stop because Ratchet and First Aid go snooping around my brain."

No one could argue, although they looked like they wanted to. Sam wraps his arms around himself. "Listen, I'm freezing. I'm going to go back to bed. Having All Spark induced dreams wear me out."

"Okay," Ratchet says before Bumblebee or Optimus can protest, "but you will have to say in the medbay until further notice."

Sam raises an eyebrow. "Why?

Ratchet tilts his head. "Because I want to make sure your okay, and maybe see if we can learn more about this."

Sam rubs his face, too tired to argue. Sam wasn't lying when he said that those dreams drain him, because they do. Sam just waves his hand at Ratchet's concerns but turns to Will. "Kinda killed the mood, huh?"

Will shakes his head somberly. "No, we'll be fine. You go rest, okay? I'll make sure the base is functioning when you wake up. I've got this all handled."

Sam smiles thinly. "That's a scary thought."

Will pats Sam on the back and turns away.

"I'm coming too," Bumblebee says quickly.

"No, Bee," Sam squints up at his guardian. "You should stay here. Try and somehow have a good afternoon."

Bumblebee adamantly shakes his head. "No, I'm going to go with you."

Sam sighs. "Come on, Bee."

Bumblebee gives Sam a look he's never seen before. It was so... intense. "I am... mad that I can't protect you. Please, let me do this. Let me go with you. I promise that I won't let you down anymore, just.. please, Sam, please. Don't push me away," Bumblebee begs.

Sam's face twists into one of confusion. "What do you mean, let me down? You've never let me down, Bee. Why would you think that?"

Bumblebee looks away. "I'm not... I... I don't know, Sam. I just feel like I've let you down. Ever since Chicago..." Bumblebee trails off. But in Sam's mind's eye he can see Bumblebee standing with Prowl, Optimus and Ratchet. And the subject of Chicago came up. And the fact that he loves Sam. At this point onward, Sam has a feeling that whenever Chicago is brought up, so will the thought that Bumblebee loves him.

Sam blinks slowly, looking up at the pained face of his guardian. "Bumblebee, can we talk alone?"

Bumblebee's facial features switch to confused and a little worried. "We can... but what about..?"

Sam stands up slowly. He's tired, yes. But this has gone on for too long. Sam has to find some stable ground. Everything is so hecktic and crazy and Sam needs to get control over something in his life. Maybe talking to Bumblebee would do that.

"Ratchet, I'll be right with you, okay?" Sam must have looked completely serious, because the old medic, although looking like he wanted to protest, didn't and nodded instead.

"Yes, okay."

Bumblebee, suddenly looking nervous, transforms into his alt mode. Sam walks, slowly, over to the driver's side and climbs in.

"Where to?" Bumblebee asks quietly, his british accent coming out a lot thicker the quieter he's being.

Sam lays his head against the window and closes his eyes, his muscles still weak and tired. "Anywhere we can be alone for a bit."

Bumblebee hesitates for a moment before he takes off, driving further into the field, away from the base. Sam rubs his eyes, trying to stop the little burning behind his eye lids. Maybe now wasn't the time to deal with this, but since the fact that the whole All Spark messing up Sam's body is already up in the air, might as well show Bumblebee that it was also messing up his relationships with others.

Like Bumblebee.

It's time to just come clean. Hopefully this will somehow work itself out. Bumblebee is Sam's best friend and likewise. They should be able to figure this out. To be honest, Sam isn't mad about Bumblebee's... affection for him. And he's not even all that weirded out anymore. Okay, maybe he is a little. But this is still Bumblebee. The same bot that was there at the used car lot when Sam was 17. The same bot that wanted Sam to pick up the girl. The same bot that swore to protect him for the rest of his life.

The same Bumblebee.

After they got out of earshot of any of the humans and he Autobots. Sam climbs out of Bumblebee so the yellow bot and transform into his bipedal mode. Bumblebee lowers to the ground and sits in front of Sam. Projecting his holo form in front of Sam.

"What did you want to talk about, Sam?" Human Bumblebee asks softly. Looking at him with baby blue eyes.

Sam rolls his shoulder and turns to his friend. "I want to talk about us."

Bumblebee looks confused. "What about us?" Horror crosses his features. "Did I do something to upset you?"

Sam shakes his head. "No, no. I'm not mad at you, Bee. I mean, I want to talk about you. And your... feelings for me."


	18. What others' have

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Oh my god, I am so sorry for the long wait! I have been so busy getting ready to take finals and finish up school. I was able to graduate earlier then expected. I'm anxious and a bit scared, but at least now I'll have more time to dedicate to my writing. Thanks everyone so much for your patience! A little bit of something for those of you who want a deeper look at Optimus and Sam's relationship! :D Enjoy! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Word Count: 5,135

At first Bumblebee looks confused. He seems to be thinking about Sam's words over and over before the truth dawned on him. If a hologram could loose color, Sam is sure Bumblebee's color would have faded from his face by the look of horror that crossed it. His big blue eyes dart back and forth as if trying to pluck an explanation from the air.

"Who told you?" Bumblebee finally asks after a panicky struggle to find the answer himself.

Sam, who couldn't find the energy to keep standing all the while Bumblebee was having his internal strife, sits in the dirt. "No one, Bee. I over heard you, Prowl, Optimus and Ratchet talking about it."

Bumblebee looks around confused, thinking back. "But... there's no way that you could have... understood us..."

"Why?" Sam asks.

Bumblebee looks at Sam with impossibly big eyes. "We were speaking our native language. There is no way you would be able to-"

"The All Spark," Sam says, cutting Bumblebee off. "I felt like it was holding me in place. I didn't want to ease drop, Bee, believe me. After all of this crazy stuff going on, playing interpreter doesn't seem that far out of the All Spark's capabilities."

Bumblebee looks like he wants to argue but nothing seems to come from it. He turns away for a moment, as if trying to school his features away from Sam, before turning back. "Why would the All Spark do that? Interpret my confession?"

For some reason, Sam flinches at Bumblebee's words. They seem so matter-of-fact. Like... like they were just talking about the weather. Sam wasn't sure what he would do if Bumblebee just suddenly got all emotional, especially after what happened earlier, but this definitely wasn't what he was thinking would happen. He doesn't know which he would prefer; emotional or not.

Sam feels mentally and physically drained from their earlier ordeal but Bumblebee definitely looked emotionally drained. Maybe this would have been different had Sam brought it up a different time. Sam's still indecisive as to whether ripping the band aid off like this or letting it draw out is okay. It's too late now, though. Bumblebee knows that Sam knows, now they have to face it.

Sam just can't believe that the All Spark would go this far just so Sam could learn that Bumblebee is in love with him. In the grand scheme of things, Sam can't honestly see where something like that would be worth this ageless cube's time. It seems to be doing more harm then good each time Sam tries to understand the All Spark's reasoning behind the things that it does.

"I don't know, Bee," Sam says softly.

There is a pregnant silence between them. Thick and uncomfortable. Sam hates it. There has never been a silence like this between them. It's completely unnatural and wrong. It leaves a sour taste in his mouth, which surprised Sam.

Sam looks at Bumblebee, trying to think of some way to integrate this awkward topic into the conversation. He watches as the blue eyed Autobot looks off into the distance with cloudy eyes. Lost in thought.

"Bumblebee," Sam says, pulling the scout's attention to him, "I want to know what it means to be sparkmates."

The yellow Autobot thinks about that for a long moment, before walking over to the tired human and kneeling in front of his sitting form. "It is commonly believed on Cybertron that when the All Spark blessed life to one of us, a chunk of it was missing. Half, to be exact. Later on in life, or maybe even before your time, the other half is given. A secondary goal in life is to find said bot that has your other half."

"Like soul mates," Sam says. Bumblebee nods.

"Precisely. Our sparks resonate with this power... it's beautiful. It's liberating. It's like I've been half a bot my entire life until..." he stops, giving Sam this look. Almost like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It slowly fades and this gentle, affectionate look takes it's place. "I know this is weird for you, Sam, but don't worry. I'll try harder to not let this become an issue. I swear."

"It's not an issue," Sam says quickly. "It's just... weird. You know all about human society. It's just not... normal for humans..."

Bumblebee literally deflates before Sam's very eyes. He looks around, at everything but Sam. "I know. I know all about that. Trust me, Sam, I was never going to tell you how I felt." Somehow, that didn't make Sam feel any better. In fact, it left a cold chill in the pit of Sam's belly. Something about being told that he wouldn't of found out conventionally doesn't sit well with him.

"Why?" Sam hears himself asks. Was there a sharp undertone to his voice?

Bumblebee looks confused. "Why what?"

"Why wouldn't you ever tell me?" Sam asks, eyebrows narrowed.

Bumblebee blinks slowly. "I, uh, thought that you would be upset about hearing that..."

"But we're friends, Bee, don't you think you should tell me when it pertains to you? I know, I heard that you were scared I would hate you," Bumblebee opens his mouth about to protest but Sam sighs, shaking his head, "I can't accurately say how I would feel about a confession from my best friend but I'm a little hurt that you would think that I'm some kind of bigot."

Bumblebee opens his mouth, probably about to deny thinking that about Sam, but then he closes it when he gets a good look at Sam's pale face. It looks gaunt and gray. His eyes are ringed and red. He's barely holding himself up as it is. So Bumblebee steps close to Sam and kneels down to be eye-level with him.

"You need rest, Sam, we can talk about this later," Bumblebee's voice is soft and gentle. The affection laced thick in those simple words.

"I..." Sam forces his eyes open, trying to ignore how tired he is. "I don't want there to be secrets between us, Bee."

Bumblebee nods slowly. "I know. I don't either."

Sam roughly rubs his face. "I don't know what exactly to do about this... but we can't let it ruin our friendship, okay?"

Bumblebee nods, lips tight in a thin line.

"You are still my best friend, Bee..."

"And you are still my best friend too, Sam. You never stopped."

Sam blinks slowly, shaking his head to clear his befuddled mind. "Then why...? Why couldn't you say anything?"

"I..." Bumblebee seems to search for the answers as if they are floating around in the air. His blue eyes wide and innocent. still very child like. Sam still has to remind himself that Bumblebee isn't even considered a full fledged adult by Cybertronian terms. He's still relatively young. "I love you, Sam, and the thought of you hating me for that would ruin me."

Sam's mind clears a little. He gets a touch of clarity and he is inclined to believe it's the All Spark's doing. "I love you too, Bee... I just... I'm just not sure to what extent that is. I just need some... some time to think about it. Can I have that?"

Both of Bumblebee's bodies jolt in surprise, hope flickering across both faces. Bumblebee quickly reigns in his excitement and hope for a too-fast nod and a tiny smile. Bumblebee's holo form disappears and Bumblebee's bi-pedal form transforms into his alt mode, the driver's door popping open.

"Sam," Bumblebee says over the radio, "you could have the moon and stars if you asked."

 

Sam had to admit that he felt a lot better when he woke. Contrary to last time he slept in the medbay, to which he woke from a horrible nightmare to the twins arguing in the next room, this time it was silent. Mostly anyway, except for the gentle hum of the machines around him. A quick glance around room showed that other than him, it was empty.

Sam takes this few moments of silence to stretch out as far as he can go. Pops rolling down his spine. He freezes, holding himself fully stretched relishing as the pleasure sings from his body before he releases and lays back down. He smiles contentedly. After a moment of looking around the quiet room Sam groans loudly, hating that he has to leave his bed. Normally the stiff would be less then pleasing, but he's had the best sleep he's had in a long time last night. He hates to let it go for fear it will not be duplicated tonight.

Unfortunately, Sam isn't a high schooler any more and he's got obligations to uphold.

But first, his stomach is rumbling loudly, demanding his attention first. Sam decides that it's best to succumb to his body's will before going about rationally. He doesn't even know how long he's been asleep. The linoleum floor is cold on Sam's bare feet. He does a little floor-is-so-fucking-cold dance before he got used to it and makes his way to the door, stopping momentarily to slip on his sneakers. It's eerily quiet and Sam isn't sure if he is relieved or worried.

After what happened yesterday, or what he thinks is yesterday, Sam isn't sure exactly what he expects but this silence wasn't it. He'd at least expected Bumblebee to be there waiting for him to wake up.

Sam halts, hand outstretched to open the door. Bumblebee. He was so delirious that most of it was like someone else was talking to Bumblebee, not Sam. He knows everything that was said and it makes sense, mostly. Luckily Sam didn't commit to anything until he's had time to adequately think about it. Woah, this is crazy. Sam is actually considering trying a relationship with Bumblebee. What kind of strange, exotic fangirl's dream world has this turned into?

Sam shakes himself, stomach rumbling. He opens the door. The cold air makes bumps appear on Sam's arms. His thin white t-shirt barely protects him from the declining temperature. His sweatpants aren't jeans but a quick glance around the sterile white room showed him that there was no other choice. He securely closes the door and squints into the sunlight. It's about noon, so if he was asleep it's been a little less than twenty-four hours. That's still a long time in Sam's mind. He has a lot of stuff to do and not as much time as he'd like to complete it.

Taking a moment to get his bearings, Sam makes his way toward the cafeteria. His stomach grumbling again at the prospect of food. About half way there Sam noticed that the usually bustling base is silent. Worried, Sam picks up his pace until he's running. It takes him a moment to realize that he has deterred from the path to the cafeteria and is on the way to the Autobot's hanger. His running turns into full out sprinting.

The chilled air burns Sam's lungs and a stitch works its way to his side. Sam puts his hands out in front of him and shoves the door to the Autobot's hanger wide open. It slams against the wall on the other side.

"Bumblebee!" Sam calls, his voice strained and his breath heavy. "Optimus?"

Silence. The hanger is empty. No personnel, no soldiers and definitely no Autobots. The base is empty, it's got to be. Where is everyone otherwise? Did they all abandon the base? Sam can't imagine why, though. Why would they all just up and leave? What is going on?

Sam doubles over, breathing heavily.

"Sam..."

The young human freezes, his breathing stops. That voice came from outside. It sounded like it was called from a megaphone.

"Sam Witwicky, there is no place to hide."

Hide? Why would Sam need to hide? And from who?

Suddenly, Sam is afraid. He runs away from the door, ignoring the pain in his lungs and side. He has to hide. He doesn't know why other then that he has to. He's not safe. Could this be because of the All Spark? Is it warning him that he's not safe? It doesn't matter. What matters is he has to hide. He finds a few crates on the upper level, accessable by the stairs. It's used to be closer to eye level with the Autobots. Half way up, Sam almost gave up, his body like lead.

He somehow manages to hide behind the crates just as shadows darken the entrance to the hanger that Sam entered through.

"We know you're in here, Sam Witwicky, show yourself." a man says.

Heavy boots pound the concrete floor as they move into the hanger. Sam can distinctly hear the sound of gear shifting. Familiar army gear. Could this...? Could this be the people that broke into his and Carly's house? The Sector 7 people?

Eli Brown was his name, if Sam recalled.

Sam's heart thumps loudly in his chest, blood like ice in his veins. Sam pulls himself up against the crates, breathing shallow despite the stitch in his side and his erratically beating heart. He has to ignore the light headedness that follows.

"What are you doing, Sam?" The man asks. Sam holds his breath. "Where are the Autobots, Sam? Where are they?"

Sam glances over the side, looking down at a portion of the empty room, wondering the exact same thing. How could they just leave him here? Unprotected? And after the conversation that Sam and Bumblebee had earlier, something about it gives Sam the impression that being Sparkmates doesn't exactly entail leaving him behind unprotected where there are possible killers on the loose looking for him. Keeping in mind that other then the mall, they haven't seen or heard anything about them, but still.

This just isn't like them at all. Optimus and Bumblebee aren't like that. Not even in the slightest. They would never do something like that to him. Would they? No! He can't question them, their his friends. If he can't believe that they only want the best for him, what can he believe?

Sam flinches back when the man speaks again. "You're hiding from something you can't see, Sam." The sound of boots heavily tapping the ground, moves further into the hanger. His footsteps sound like huge text books dropping from a desk in the silence of the room. Sam scoots as close to the crate as possible, giving desperate, hoarse breaths struggling to stay as quiet as possible.

"Sam, don't you see? The Autobots are the only ones who can give you the answer you seek, yet they don't even know the questions." Questions? Sam mouths to himself, trying to think back to when he had any clear cut questions. Something he couldn't answer with just speculation. That was probably when he got the criptic message from the All Spark.

Nothing is merely coincidence. Everything has a purpose.

It seems like ever since Sam learned that, it's come up more and more. It's gotten to the point now where Sam can only assume that there is a message within the message, but to that; he hasn't given much thought.

"Here's something for you to consider: what do the Primes not have that all other Cybertronian's do?"

Sam blinks slowly in puzzlement. What the hell does that mean? Sam wasn't even aware that there was something that all Cybertronians had that the Primes didn't. Is it some kind of trick? But why? What's the point?

"We will find you, Sam. It is inevitable. We have something that you need." Eli Brown says softly. Even though the words are soft, Sam feels like they were screamed in his ear. Sam's heart pounds so loud it feels like it's echoing off the walls of the otherwise quiet room. "There you are, Sam."

The voice, it was in his ear, hot breath on the back of his neck. Sam yelps, jumping to get away.

Sam nearly falls out of bed. He looks around wildly, trying to get his bearings. He's back in the medbay. How? It's still cold, but Sam's heavy breaths fill the silence. Something glowing is leaned over him. Sam wails, throwing himself away from the lights.

"Sam, Sam, it's okay. It's just me," Ratchet says, hand over his spark. "You nearly scared the spark out of me with all your screaming."

"Wha..?" Sam shakes his head, squinting into the darkness at the two floating blue orbs, reminding Sam of the orbs in the All Spark induced dream. The ones that he couldn't get too close to before waking up. But how did he get back into the medbay? Where is Eli Brown? How..?

"It was just a nightmare, Sam, you're safe," Ratchet says, lowering himself a bit trying to comfort the young hero. He's not sure he's doing a good job, he's a little rusty. It's been a long time since he's had to comfort something so young. More specifically, a sparkling that young. Way too long.

"A nightmare?" Sam mumbles, the word sounds foreign in his ear and even more so on his tongue. It's been so long since he's had one that he almost forgot what they were. Of course! There is no way the Autobots would just abandon him unless it was because of a nightmare. There is no way that Sector seven could get to him in the heart of his own base.

"Your heart rate is lowering, good. Are you oaky now, Sam?"

Sam nods. "Yeah," he says breathlessly. "Sorry about that, Ratchet."

Ratchet shakes away thoughts of sparklings and returns his focus to Sam. "No, it's fine. I brought you here to monitor you. Thankfully you didn't... uh... have another of those dreams. It was just a normal, human dream - er nightmare."

Sam laughs breathlessly. "Yeah, I guess. It was just so weird."

Ratchet is quiet for a long moment before he settles himself in a sit, still looking at Sam in the darkness. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Sam's automatic reaction was to say no, but then he realized he did. He wanted to talk about it with someone. Hell, there was a lot he wanted to talk about but for now, the dream was a good start. So Sam gives Ratchet the play by play of his dream. The old medic remains silent through the entire thing, Sam moved back to the center of the bed and looked up at the glowing Autobot eyes.

After Sam finishes, they sit in silence, thinking about it. Finally, Sam asks, "What does Optimus and other Primes not have, Ratchet?"

A quiet moment passes before Ratchet says, softly, as if to not disturb the silence that blanketed them, "I don't know." Sam's heart sinks a little. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Why would it? Maybe it's something to best ask Optimus.

Having a similar thought, Ratchet says, "Optimus may know."

Sam nods. "I figured, Hey, what time is it, by the way?"

"About one thirty. One twenty-six to be more specific."

They sit in silence. Each lost in his own thoughts.

"I guess..." Sam starts, trying to fill the silence for some reason. "I guess I'll talk to Optimus about this. Tomorrow, of course. If anyone can figure this out, it's him. Right?"

Ratchet nods slowly. "Yeah," he says softly and Sam can't help but wonder if there is something else going on that he's not saying. "Optimus would be the logically sound one to go to. But Sam, keep this in mind: Optimus has been deeply concerned for a while. He's stressed."

"Concerned about what?" Sam asks, thinking back to the day he asked the Autobot leader about their trip to the mall. How he was looking off in the distance, greatly distracted. Sam had kind of disregarded the worry back then and now he feels bad about it. He hasn't given Optimus the time of day as he probably should have. He's been so wrapped up in his own world and his own issues that he didn't much pay attention to the world around him.

Ratchet looks around as if uncomfortable. "I... I have my theories, but I believe that is something that Optimus will have to answer, himself. Sorry, Sam."

"No," Sam says too quickly. "It's okay. Really. I'll talk to Optimus. I'll figure this out."

Ratchet stands, nodding more to himself then Sam. "I'm sure you will, Sam. Just trust your instincts."

 

After Sam chokes down a bagel for breakfast, he goes in search of the Autobot leader. It's early and barely anyone is out and about yet, but Ratchet assured Sam that Optimus was awake and out and about. It didn't take Sam long to logically think up where Optimus would go. Sam found himself standing in the west field. Optimus just paces ahead, staring off into the distance with a solemn look on his face.

Just like before, Sam takes a moment to study the old bot. He's standing tall and proud to the untrained eye, but Sam sees the subtle sag in his posture. The dark, calm look on his face. His shoulders slightly stooped, like a heavy weight is placed on his shoulders. But his eyes, pointed off over the field but Sam doubts that he's actually seeing it.

There is great sadness in his eyes, like he's watching the horrors of his life on repeat and all it's succeeding to do is make him sad. Sam wonders if he's thinking about Cybertron and his dying race. Maybe he's thinking about the All Spark. Maybe he's thinking about the things that the All Spark is doing to Sam. And maybe that's making him sad. There is a small crease on his face where his metal eyebrows pull together slightly.

"Optimus?" Sam says softly, pulling the Autobot leader from his thoughts.

Optimus blinks slowly once, twice, thrice before looking down at Sam, slightly surprised to see him. "Sam, how are you feeling?"

Sam smiles faintly. That's just like the old bot to turn the attention to anyone but himself. That just furthers Sam's belief that the Autobot leader was thinking about something troublesome. He would do anything to avoid talking about it.

"I'm okay, Optimus. A picture of good health. The question is, are you okay?" Sam raises an eyebrow.

Optimus nods, jerkily, then stops, staring down at Sam. Finally, he says, "I am. I'm just thinking about troubling stuff." Figures, Sam thinks, rolling his eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sam asks.

Optimus closes his eyes. "Not especially," he admits.

They sit in silence for a long time, just staring at the tall grass swaying in the breeze. Sam pulls his jacket tighter around his body. The cold bites a bit at the tip of Sam's nose but he ignores it. The days are steadily getting colder. It's definitely colder today than it was yesterday. But of course yesterday isn't something Sam wants to think about right now. He doesn't want to think about the panic, the picnic and the talk with Bumblebee. And at the very top of that list is the All Spark. If he could, Sam would just wipe yesterday completely from his memory but there's no chance of that.

"Really, Optimus," Sam says, looking up at the red and blue Autobot, "what's wrong? Is it the same thing that was bothering you the day we went to the mall?"

Optimus turns his head up, to stare at the brightening sky. "Truthfully? Yes. It... has been something that has weighed on my mind for a long time."

"Tell me about it," Sam says softly.

Optimus hesitates and for a second Sam's worried Optimus will just turn and walk away. But instead, he shakes his head and sighs, a worn look etched into the metal. His shoulders droop slightly and he looks at least a hundred years older now than he did a moment before.

"Sam, it's not... I don't know how to say this without it seemingly like I'm blaming anyone. Because I'm not. It's no ones fault really." Sam doesn't like the sound of that, his gut twisting uncomfortably. The bagel he ate earlier sitting a little bit heavier now. "I just, can't stop thinking about it," Optimus continues softly, eyes staring off into the distance unseeing. "All I could think about was saving everyone from Megatron's tyranny. He couldn't get his hands on the All Spark. I knew that. But... I never thought that in the... endeavor," he says the word delicately but Sam flinches anyway, "of trying to do that, the All Spark was destroyed."

"Because I shoved it in Megatron's spark and it didn't even kill him," Sam says bitterly. He was afraid that this was the fear that has been sticking to Optimus for so long and he didn't fail to notice the old bot flinch at his words. Sam felt shame color his numb cheeks. Partly because he was the reason that a race was going to die out and ultimately there was nothing to show for it, Megatron still came back. And the other, more dominate part still sometimes forgets that Megatron and Optimus were once friends. Best friends, even. Brothers, Optimus had gone so far as to admit. They loved each other at one point. Now it's gone. Just like Megatron.

Even Sam never got the... pleasure of meeting Megatron post-madness, from the way Optimus fought so hard to rekindle the friendship they once had, it must have been powerful. Something you could only get once in a lifetime. A truly best friend. And Optimus killed his. If Sam were in Optimus's place and Bumblebee was in Megatron's, Sam isn't so sure he would be able to be as strong as Optimus.

"I'm sorry, Optimus, I get that Megatron meant a lot to you," Sam amends softly.

Optimus shook his head sternly, eyes narrowing slightly. Sam could see pain and sadness in the dimmed blue lights. "Megatron made his choices. I did... all I could to change his mind, but ultimately he made his bed, as the human phrase goes, and now he must lay in it." Optimus's voice is sharp and finite and Sam knows that the old bot doesn't want to talk about it anymore.

Going back to their original topic, respecting the old red and blue flamed Autobot's wishes, "So you're... mad about the All Spark?" About me destroying it and any chance of your race continuing? Sam could bring himself to ask, afraid of the answer.

"Not mad," Optimus says quickly, then adds, "at you, I mean. I told you to shove it into my chest should I lose. I knew it would destroy the All Spark and any chance my people had at survival, but..." and Sam heard it without Optimus having to say it. That raw energy, although it didn't kill Megatron, it could have killed Optimus and he wouldn't of had to watch as his people grew old and died without chance to repopulate. And that was a source of great shame for him. Optimus held the weight of his dying people on his shoulders like thousands of cinderblocks, all staked atop of each other. But not just the ones that will die with the thought that they may never join the Well of Sparks, but the ones that will never have a chance at life.

Sam's stomach twists even more at the thought. No wonder the old bot looks so tired and sad all the time.

Before Sam can offer some kind of comfort, although he hasn't the slightest clue what he would even say or do, Optimus continues, eyes glazed over, staring off thousands of miles away. "I never wanted this for my people. My entire life has been defending the people and the All Spark. It was the one and only thing that I truly loved in my life. So long as both were safe, I was content. I remember," a faint smile crosses his worn face, "a young couple coming up the All Spark. It was my first time witnessing the All Spark give life. The two bots, their sparks glowed so bright they were like burning suns. The All Spark zapped them with it's energy, their two sparks, along with the All Spark, mixing for just a moment and then it grew quiet and the light faded.

"The... carrier, the equivalent of your females, opened up the compartment where a sparkling can be carried and there he was, so tiny and fragile. The gathered crowd that often came to welcome a new bot into the world, cheered and hollered in happiness. Each life on Cybertron was priceless and beloved. The couple turned, glowing with pride and made their way away from the All Spark. The sparkling was ready to live away from the carrier a few months later." Optimus's eyes are unbelievable soft in remembrance.

Sam felt a little bit of happiness bloom in his chest, overshadowing the sadness that such a thing will never happen again. "Do you remember the little sparklings name?"

Optimus looks startled, like he forgot he wasn't alone. "Yes," he says something in Cybertronian, this time the All Spark didn't translate which Sam found a bit annoying but Optimus looks down at him and repeats, in English. "Roughly translated in your language, as Jazz."

**Author's Note:**

> List of Songs used:
> 
> 1\. Shut up and Drive-Rihanna
> 
> 2\. I'll be- Edwin McCain
> 
> 3\. Sweet home Alabama- Lynyrd Skynyrd
> 
> 4\. So Happy Together- The Turtles


End file.
